Acclaimed Australian director Alex Proyas (The Crow, Dark City, I, Robot) has officially joined the upcoming supernatural thriller mini-series The Midnight Shift as lead director and executive producer through his Sydney-based company Mystery Clock Cinema, which is dedicated to visionary, high-concept cinema and television with international reach.

The series presents an unconventional retelling of the myth of the Boatman, or Charon, who carried the dead to the Underworld. In this modern-day reimagining set on the island of Cyprus, the Boatman takes the form of Harry, a small-time crook turned taxi driver, who offers a similar service during his “midnight shifts”. His unlikely sidekick is Persephone, a headstrong reporter determined to uncover the scandals plaguing the island and to expose the mysteries that linger between the two worlds. Drawing on the island’s historical crossroads, between Greek mythology and Orthodox Christianity, The Midnight Shift aspires to establish a new genre of Mediterranean noir, or “Med-noir”, as its creators describe it.

Structured as an eight-part mini-series (8x45 minutes), The Midnight Shift was created by Cypriot filmmaker Andreas Kyriacou – based on his 2015 short film of the same name – which first gained international recognition after winning the HBO Europe Award at the CineLink Co-Production Market in 2017, as part of the MIDPOINT TV Launch programme. After years of development and a pandemic-induced pause, the series is moving ahead with fresh momentum, bolstered by Proyas’s involvement and a mix of Cypriot and international talent, and production is slated to begin in spring 2026.

“Now, with Alex Proyas on board, we are entering the most exciting stage of this project,” Kyriacou told Cineuropa. “We already have a fresh pilot script, and the writing team is now working on the next episodes. This project has a long history of development through international workshops and pitching forums, which helped us mature the story to a point where it is ready to take off. With Alex’s mastery of world-building and genre storytelling, we’re confident this will resonate with audiences worldwide.”

Proyas himself added: “When I first read The Midnight Shift, I was struck by the originality, unique cultural perspective and the potential to resonate internationally. I’m thrilled to help bring this story to life, and collaborate with Andreas and his team.”

The series is being produced by Mike Mavromichalis, of Cyprus-based Splash Screen Entertainment, which specialises in bold genre storytelling with an international focus, and which is joining forces with Mystery Clock Cinema. “This collaboration is a great boost for the series, and at the same time, we are already in talks with potential distributors, platforms and equity partners to build the right international financing structure around the show. Cyprus itself offers one of the most competitive film rebates in Europe, breathtaking locations that can double for anywhere in the world and a creative workforce that bridges cultures, making it the perfect base for a series of this scale,” stated Mavromichalis.

The team behind the project attended the recent CineLink Co-Production Market in Sarajevo, where a series of important meetings were organised around the show. The Midnight Shift now enters its next chapter, and the team is actively seeking further collaborations with international producers, broadcasters and platforms.