Actors Anthony Hayes, Ewen Leslie, and Don Hany will star in Devil's Dust. Picture: Darren Tindale / Source: Herald Sun
Fiona Byrne, The Herald Sun, reports
Logie winner Don Hany will lead a star cast in a new ABC telemovie telling of the harrowing James Hardie asbestos saga.
Hany will be joined by Anthony Hayes and Ewen Leslie in the two-part mini-series, Devil's Dust, which tells the story of Bernie Banton, the James Hardie worker who gave a public face to the battle for compensation for asbestos victims.
Hayes, known for roles in The Slap and Look Both Ways, will play Banton.
Leslie will play investigative journalist Matt Peacock who wrote a book about Banton's battle, while Hany, who earned great acclaim for his roles on East West 101 and Offspring, has been cast as a spin doctor.
Filming will get underway in Sydney on March 19.
"It is a very important story to tell," Hayes said.
"It is something that shocked me when I read the script. I knew parts of it, but not the full extent. By 2030 there will be more deaths in Australia from asbestos than from WW1.
"It is horrific, it is absolutely horrific."
Hayes said Banton, who died in November 2007 aged 61 after a long battle with the asbestos cancer mesothelioma, was an inspiring figure.
"A lot of people fight for lots of causes, but to be directly affected by the very cause that you are fighting for and to fight for other people until the day you die is pretty extraordinary,'' he said.
"You know you are running out of time so you have to push harder, despite the fact you can barely get out of bed, you can barely breathe. It takes quite an exceptional person to do that.''
Devil's Dust will be produced by FremantleMedia Australia, and is based on Peacock's book Killer Company.
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