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Queenstown at dusk, with town lights beside Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables beyond.
Our coverage ofNetflix

The Queenstown screen journal

Queenstown,
on screen.

Big stories. Remarkable settings.
Discover the new Netflix drama, the films that came before it, and the places behind the screen.

Inside the Netflix story

Independent coverage by Queenstown Tourism. Not affiliated with Netflix.

Queenstown at dusk. Photo: Stephen Gong / Unsplash. Photo licence.

01 / The lead story

Netflix announcement

Drama / Netflix

A town with
a story to tell.

A privileged family and its employees clash beneath the polish of a luxury ski town. Power, loyalty and desire drive the drama.

The series is called Queenstown. Here is the announced cast and creative team, with the original reporting kept in view.

Read the full Queenstown tracker
The briefing8episodes announced
Created by
Chloe Stearns
Directed by
Glendyn Ivin and Roseanne Liang

What about a release date?

The reviewed Netflix announcement gives no release date. Its production report is dated 28 July 2026, not a live filming update.

Read the dated developments
Source reference: Netflix

Netflix Tudum announcement (external reference)
Published

The announced cast

Names confirmed by Netflix

Production notebook

How the Queenstown announcement developed

17 and 28 July 2026

The 17 July production report and 28 July cast follow-up are two steps in the same story. Variety reported the eight-part Queenstown commission on 17 July. Its 28 July follow-up named five additional regulars, completing the nine-person cast listed in our briefing.

Those July reports describe production at the time they were published. They are not a live filming schedule or a guide to finding actors. For readers planning a visit, the useful distinction is simple: Queenstown is both the name of the drama and its announced setting, but a particular hotel, street or ski run needs its own evidence before we call it a filming location.

Source references

Variety, initial production report (external reference)
Source published:

Variety, cast follow-up (external reference)
Source published:

Creative notebook

The names behind the camera

Director profile, publication date not stated

A cast list tells only part of the story. Director Roseanne Liang’s own Queenstown project page credits Chloe Stearns as creator, lists Liang alongside Glendyn Ivin as directors, and names Silent Firework and Runaway Unicorn as the production companies.

That gives us a useful way to follow the series beyond celebrity headlines: its writing, direction and production team. The undated profile is evidence of those credits, not a fresh announcement. It does not establish a release date or offer visitors access to a working set.

Source references

Roseanne Liang, Queenstown project profile (external reference)
Source published: Date not stated

02 / The developing story

Keep the story.
Keep the date.

Announcements stay in the archive as the story develops. A newly checked source is not a newly reported event.

Sources checked

Queenstown: the official Netflix announcement

Netflix's 28 July 2026 announcement describes Queenstown as an eight-episode series created by Chloe Stearns, with Rufus Sewell and Frances O'Connor in the cast. It reported production in Queenstown at that time. That dated announcement is not a report of filming activity today.

Read the Queenstown tracker
Source reference, dates and verification

Source reference: Netflix Tudum (external)

Original source publication
Event date
Date not stated
Our publication
Publication time not recorded
Record verified
Source retrieved

1 dated announcement in this collection. Original report dates are preserved.

Screen and landscape notes

From the source desks

Reviewed context for the screen library and places to explore. Check current official access information before travelling.

Screen library

A screen library beyond Netflix

Destination Queenstown lists The Power of the Dog, Mission: Impossible - Fallout and One Lane Bridge among productions connected with the district. These are historical screen connections, not evidence of current production or public access to sets.

Source reference, dates and verification

Source reference: Destination Queenstown

Original source publication
Date not stated
Event date
Date not stated
Our publication
Date not stated
Record verified
Source retrieved

Location report

Twelve Mile Delta and Middle-earth

The Department of Conservation identifies Twelve Mile Delta as a location for the Ithilien Camp in The Lord of the Rings. Use DOC's visitor page for current access information before planning a visit. A filming connection does not grant access to closed or private areas.

Source reference, dates and verification

Source reference: Department of Conservation

Original source publication
Date not stated
Event date
Date not stated
Our publication
Date not stated
Record verified
Source retrieved

03 / The screen library

You may have
seen this place before.

From Middle-earth to small-town mysteries. Explore 8 historical screen connections recorded by Destination Queenstown.

8 titles to explore

Film

Mission: Impossible - Fallout

Queenstown & Glenorchy

The district features in the helicopter chase sequences.

Plan around this connection

For a trip inspired by Mission: Impossible - Fallout, use the Queenstown & Glenorchy connection as a starting point for planning, not a promise of access to a filming site. A historical screen credit does not confirm that a set is open to visitors.

Read our landscape planning notes
Source referenceDestination Queenstown film record (external reference)
Series

Under the Vines

Regional vineyards

The comedy-drama features the region’s wineries and vineyards.

Plan around this connection

For a trip inspired by Under the Vines, use the Regional vineyards connection as a starting point for planning, not a promise of access to a filming site. A historical screen credit does not confirm that a set is open to visitors.

Read our landscape planning notes
Source referenceDestination Queenstown film record (external reference)

Historical filming connections, not current set access. Original editorial title cards, not official posters.

04 / Beyond the screen

Turn a screen story
into your own day out.

Location notebookTwelve Mile DeltaThe Lord of the Rings / Ithilien Camp

DOC identifies this place as a filming location for Ithilien Camp in The Lord of the Rings.

Start with DOC’s visitor information, then check today’s conditions before travelling. A screen connection is not permission to enter private or closed land.

Open DOC’s visitor information

Go beyond the credits

Middle-earth tour listings and a Glenorchy photography trip. These are landscape experiences, not Netflix set visits. We may earn a commission from bookings.

Keep exploring

Find a tour for your trip

Browse the collection sideways. Check current details before booking.

Tour collection

Tour listing photograph for Lord of the Rings Scenic Tour - Glenorchy (half day)

4h 15m experience in Queenstown.

Lord of the Rings Scenic Tour - Glenorchy (half day)

View tour details

Tour listing photograph for Lord of the Rings 4WD Tour from Queenstown (half day)

4 hours experience in Queenstown.

Lord of the Rings 4WD Tour from Queenstown (half day)

View tour details

Tour listing photograph for Photography Tour from Queenstown to Glenorchy - 1/2 Day

5-hour photography tour from Queenstown to Glenorchy.

Queenstown to Glenorchy photography

View tour details