The author of *Treasure & Dirt* did not know the ending of the TV adaptation of his own novel
Australian author Chris Hammer watched the series *Treasure & Dirt*, based on his novel, without knowing how the TV adaptation would end. The six-episode crime drama follows detectives Ivan Luchich and Nell Buchanan as they investigate a mysterious decapitation in a remote opal-mining town.
According to ABC News Australia, Hammer did not intend to be actively involved in the screenwriting process from the start. The author spent one day on set and later watched an early cut of the first two completed episodes. He watched the rest of the series on the ABC iview platform as soon as he had the chance.
The production company acquired the rights to adapt the novel in November 2023, but this did not guarantee that production would begin. Filming began in October 2025 in Coober Pedy, South Australia. In the series, this town was reimagined as the fictional town of Nullu.
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According to Hammer, screenwriters Matt Cameron and Kate Mulvaney significantly reimagined the source material. In the TV adaptation, some plotlines were removed or altered, the ages and genders of certain characters were changed, and new storylines were added. The author also noted that the series’ ending differs significantly from that of the book.
Michael Dorman and Liv Hewson played the lead roles in the project. Dorman said that the nine-hour drive from Adelaide to Coober Pedy helped him understand the character of Ivan and feel the impact of the heat, dust, and desolate landscape on the characters. Hughson emphasized that they sought to make Nell an independent and equal partner in the detective duo, rather than a supporting character.
*Treasure & Dirt* is the second television adaptation of Hammer’s work after *Scrublands*. The third season of *Scrublands* is currently in post-production.
