Details
Union:
Union
Area of media:
TV Series
Network:
Paid?:
Yes
Rates:
ACTRA and/or UBCP only (*Budget note: pay Scale with a 50% Buyout)?
Deadline:
July 23, 2026
Shooting starts:
Nov 2, 2026 November 2 to December 11, 2026 (NZ)
Shooting finishes:
Jan 22, 2027 January 18 to 22, 2027 (CAN)
Shooting locations:
Canterbury, New Zealand – British Columbia, Canada
Cities for response:
Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Montréal, Ottawa, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Charlottetown, St. John's, Sudbury, Kelowna, Windsor
Storyline
Maui and Elvis is funny, fast-paced, and heartfelt adventure series about a group of friends who risk everything to save Nan from a body-snatching alien and Earth from a full-scale invasion.
Meet Maui (12, Maori), the cautious planner who colour-codes his life, and Elvis (12, Indigenous First Nations), Maui’s fearless, impulsive, rules-are-optional best friend. Together, they stumble upon a strange metallic object that promptly possesses Maui’s Nan with a snarky alien who is scouting Earth for an invasion that will decimate our entire planet (rude!).
Maui and Elvis start to realize that the alien invasion warnings from the scary town crackpot “Mad Billy” (60’s) may not be so crazy after all. Luckily, our duo has backup: Maui’s self-absorbed cousin Tui (16), Elvis’s entrepreneurial brother Jimi (17), and (whether they want his help or not) the overly agreeable klutzy goofball Fletch (12).
A unique Canadian Indigenous and Maori series co-production, Maui and Elvis brings together characters and cultures from oceans apart but bonded by kinship, humour, and shared worldviews. Think Goonies in New Zealand with a dash of Goosebumps. Alternately adventure filled, heartfelt, with a few small scares along the way, this funny, fast-paced series makes for perfect family viewing.
Meet Maui (12, Maori), the cautious planner who colour-codes his life, and Elvis (12, Indigenous First Nations), Maui’s fearless, impulsive, rules-are-optional best friend. Together, they stumble upon a strange metallic object that promptly possesses Maui’s Nan with a snarky alien who is scouting Earth for an invasion that will decimate our entire planet (rude!).
Maui and Elvis start to realize that the alien invasion warnings from the scary town crackpot “Mad Billy” (60’s) may not be so crazy after all. Luckily, our duo has backup: Maui’s self-absorbed cousin Tui (16), Elvis’s entrepreneurial brother Jimi (17), and (whether they want his help or not) the overly agreeable klutzy goofball Fletch (12).
A unique Canadian Indigenous and Maori series co-production, Maui and Elvis brings together characters and cultures from oceans apart but bonded by kinship, humour, and shared worldviews. Think Goonies in New Zealand with a dash of Goosebumps. Alternately adventure filled, heartfelt, with a few small scares along the way, this funny, fast-paced series makes for perfect family viewing.
Roles
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Series Lead | ELVIS | Female 12 - 15 Years old |
Description ELVIS - (Female, age 12 – Indigenous First Nations) a high energy indomitable spirit. (Please submit age 12 - 15) Elvis is a clever, confident, and spunky 12yo Indigenous, First Nations girl with a tendency to speak and act first. She holds much self-autonomy and loves adventure. Elvis is Maui’s next-door neighbor who moved here from Canada almost a year ago, and forcibly made Maui her best friend the day she arrived in town. While Elvis’ “act now, think later” attitude can sometimes look like a flamboyant and creative superpower to our over-confident hero, her tendency for rash decisions can cause a issues for her family and friends that she is sometimes too tunnel visioned to see. This can cause resentment and tension in those she is closest with. Particularly with her brother Jimi who has been suffering the consequences of her actions since she was small. Booksmart, rule-loving Maui is more forgiving than Elvis’ older brother, but he’s also usually the one that Elvis drags along on her half-baked adventures. Elvis is a bundle of energy, like a firecracker ready to blow. But rejection and personal affronts have a strong effect on her self-esteem. She can also sometimes be oblivious to the feelings of others as she barrels forward, focused on the end result – adventure. She’s a mix between Pippi Longstocking, Star Butterfly, and Max and Robin from Stranger Things. Elvis lost her mom at an early age and was left with her dad and big brother, Jimi, who both lovingly call her “Ôcew” (pronounced “Ochew” – Cree for “fly”) because she’s always buzzing around and driving them crazy. Elvis also has a good relationship with her Kohkom and Moshom back home. Elvis doesn’t pay close attention to her looks with slightly unkempt hair, baggy capris, vans/converse, and graphic tees from back home that are Indigenous focused (Every Child Matters, Keepin’ it Riel…). Now and then you will also find a small, beaded embellishment on her clothing. | ||
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Series Regular | JIMI | Male 18 - 25 Years old |
Description JIMI - (Male, age 18 to play younger - Indigenous, First Nations) self absorbed, “ladies man” and entrepreneur.(Please submit age 18-25) Jimi is Elvis’ big brother. Because of their mom passing away and their dad always working, Jimi has been parentified in his relationship with his 12 year old sister Elvis, and with her act-first-think-last ways, it can be very frustrating for him. Jimi has a good connection with his culture and language from back home, and he misses home a lot, feeling resentful of being forced to move to Punaiti, NZ in the middle of high school (and in the middle of the hockey season where he was an elite junior player). Jimi’s cultural connection is also demonstrated in his cooking as he infuses his own traditional Indigenous recipes to the menu at “Fish Pun”, the humble local fish and chips trailer that he manages. The eccentric manager has asked him to run the whole place while they are away on one of their all-too-often fishing holidays. Since moving to New Zealand Jimi has become very entrepreneurial – his goal is to save money and return home to his friends and hockey team as soon as possible. He’s diligent with his money, budgets and savings and he takes this seriously. Between that and his role as a second parent to Elvis, Jimi can sometimes come across as serious and irritable. Jimi is especially annoyed when 16-year-old Tui shows up at the Fish Pun as his reluctant new employee. Her lack of competence will drive Jimi a little crazy. But when Huia starts to “hear” the voice of a mystical whale, warning of pending danger, Jimi is the first to encourage her to embrace her special abilities. And throughout all of this, Punaiti and the people who live there start to grow on him. His love of hockey is replaced with a love of rugby as he finds belonging in the community by joining a local league team. In the end, he starts to see Punaiti as his home. | ||