TV MINI SERIES – In Development

A Steven Tandy project

Adapted from the award-winning biography of the same name, Hanged Man:The Life and Death of Ronald Ryan is a 4 part biopic mini-series exploring the shocking life and notorious death of Ronald Ryan, who in Melbourne, 1967, became the last prisoner legally executed in Australia.

A small-time thief and family-man throughout his life, Ryan was catapulted into notoriety when he escaped maximum security Pentridge Prison to try and win his wife and children back. During the escape, Ryan allegedly shot and killed prison guard George Hodson. After Victoria’s largest manhunt, Ryan was re-captured 17 days later in Sydney and put on trial, where he maintained his innocence, claiming he did not fire any gun during his escape. In fact, the only person who admitted to firing a shot was another prison warder who had both Ryan and Hodson in his line of fire.

After a tense trial where no ballistic evidence was presented, Ryan was found guilty of murder which carried a mandatory Death sentence, prompting some of the most shocking and divisive responses in Australia’s social, political and legal history. Drawing on previously unpublished documents and personal accounts, the series reveals the truth about Ronald Ryan and the redemption he found on Death Row.