The red sands of Coober Pedy will stand in for the surface of Mars in a new television production.
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The unscripted Stars on Mars will feature celebrities competing to survive on the red planet, trading their high-end lifestyles for the physical and mental challenges of participating in a (pretend) space program.
The last one standing will be dubbed "the celebronaut" - but there's no word on whether they will win a space helmet made of opal.
Made by Fremantle's Eureka Productions, Stars on Mars was commissioned by Fox Entertainment in the US, and features Star Trek's William Shatner.
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The show will start filming later in May and launch on June 5.
Coober Pedy has a population of about 2000 people and has long been a favourite of filmmakers looking to shoot extreme environments.
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Pitch Black and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert were all shot in and around the opal capital.
While those film productions were huge, Stars on Mars will be the biggest TV production ever shot in South Australia, according to the state government.
The project will create about 250 screen industry jobs and will benefit about 150 businesses in Coober Pedy.
The production has been supported by government location incentives as well as the South Australian Film Corporation.
"Stars on Mars might be set on another planet - but this production will have real world impacts for the Australian screen industry, supporting local jobs and expertise," said Arts Minister Tony Burke.
Australian Associated Press
