| Director: | Arch Nicholson |
| Producer: | Hal McElroy |
| Starring: | Barry Newman Bill Kerr Trisha Noble Alwyn Kurts Bruce Spence |
| Company: | Hanna-Barbera Australia New South Wales Film Corporation |
| Released: | (Sydney)[1] |
| Runtime: | 94 minutes |
| Country: | Australia United States |
| Language: | English |
| Budget: | A$750,000[2] |
Deadline (stylized as ..Deadline..) is a 1981 Australian-American made-for-television thriller drama film directed by Arch Nicholson and co-produced by the Australian division of Hanna-Barbera and New South Wales Film Corporation.
Journalist Barney Duncan (Barry Newman) discovers that an earthquake on the Australian outback was found to be a small nuclear detonation, and the work of an extortionist who vowed to detonate more devices unless his conditions for blackmail are met.
It was originally known as Shadow Effects and was shot on location in Sydney, Canberra and the mining town of Broken Hill. It was a pilot for an unmade TV series which was to be called Foreign Correspondent.[3] [4]
At one stage Graham Kennedy was going to play a priest.[5]
Production was held up due to protests from Actors Equity.[6]
"I like the concept, it's a contemporary issue," said Newman during filming in December 1980. "I'm a news nut; my favorite actor is Walter Cronkite."[7]