Following a decorated 27-year career as a Navy and emergency services paramedic, Western Australian author, actor and producer Skeeta Newman has announced that his 2025 debut novel, Ghost in the Gears: Beyond the Law, is officially being adapted into a feature film.
Produced by Grey Mandate Productions in association with Catalyst Films, Ghost in the Gears is an original Australian action crime thriller that follows disillusioned former detective Greyson Hale as he wages a relentless war against a Perth kingpin after a human trafficking operation places his family in the crosshairs.
The film marks the first adaptation in a planned four-book series, with the long-term vision of establishing an original Australian screen franchise while showcasing Western Australia’s growing film industry. The second novel Ghost in the Gears: Chimera Rising, is due for release in December 2026.
In a powerful instance of art imitating life, Skeeta, who faces a daily battle with chronic pain due to multiple sclerosis, PTSD and spinal injury will step in front of the camera to portray the lead character. For ten years now, Skeeta has utilised acting as a profound form of personal mental health therapy and physical escape.
Bypassing standard, multi-year state funding queues, the project has ignited immense passion within the local creative community. Filmmaker Sandra Matthews Ramsay (Catalyst Films) is officially attached to direct, steering a full, professional Western Australian cast and technical crew who have committed their immense talents to the project.
“This film is being built by Western Australians, for Western Australia,” says Skeeta. “Our entire casting pipeline, street locations, supplier services, and our musical soundtrack will be strictly WA. We are demonstrating exactly what can be achieved when our local arts community collaborates behind an original, authentic Australian story.”
With production charging toward its January shoot date, Grey Mandate Productions has launched an Australian Cultural Fund campaign offering 100% tax-deductible incentives for corporate sponsors looking to invest directly back into the WA economy.
You can keep up to date with the film via Instagram @gitgfilm
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