Brooke Warne, the daughter of the Shane Warne, has hit out at the Nine Network’s decision to dramatise the life of her late father in a mini-series titled “Warnie”.
At Nine’s Upfronts event on Wednesday, the network gave little detail of the series, other than to say the two-part drama event will screen in 2023.
Screentime, a Banjay company, is behind the production, but no casting details have been announced yet.
“Warnie” is being billed as a “fitting tribute to one of the greatest Australians of all time”, however Brooke Warne does not see the ‘tribute’ as fitting or appropriate.
On an Instagram story, she labelled the network “beyond disrespectful”.
“Do you have any respect for Dad? Or his family? Who did so much for Channel 9 and now you want to dramatise his life and our family’s life six months after he passed away?”
The show was first flagged in March, when Andy Ryan, Nine’s head of drama said: “Warnie’s life was so full of drama, like the man himself. This mini-series will be larger than life – entertaining, confronting, thought-provoking.
“We want to explore what made Warnie so special and why he had such a powerful effect on people. He was a sporting legend, national treasure, and an international kind of icon, but he was also a larrikin, a rogue, a charmer and a flawed man.”
James Erskine, Warne’s manager, has also previously been scathing of the decision.
“He’s only been dead for a couple of months, and for them to turn this around and think about doing some sensational thing, well, they should be ashamed of themselves,” he told the Herald Sun in June.
“I’ll be writing to Peter Costello because he is their [Nine’s] chairman and saying ‘Please explain’.”
In light of Brooke Warne’s renewed criticism, Nine issued a statement defending the mini-series.
“Our Warnie mini-series we know will be a celebration of the life of an extraordinary Australian – a man who lived life large and loved passionately,” a Nine spokesperson told Variety Australia.
“We have enormous respect for Shane and all his achievements, and our hope is that all Australians, including Warnie’s family, will feel the program honours his legacy and life.”