Margot Robbie's Neighbours Storylines Are Becoming Vertical Episodes. Is That Really a Microdrama?
Updated: Oct 9
What was announced
On September 29, 2026, Variety reported that Fremantle and RoseBerry Media are recutting two Neighbours storylines featuring Margot Robbie's character Donna Freedman into vertical micro-episodes for the Epis platform. Together the edits are expected to run about 150 minutes. This is archive material being reshaped for a new format, not newly filmed Margot Robbie episodes or a return to the role. That distinction disappears easily in a headline, but it changes how the project should be understood.
Why the deal is interesting
A long-running soap has exactly the sort of material that short-drama companies want: relationships with history, secrets, reversals and a large catalogue of scenes. RoseBerry says its RedSnapper workflow uses AI in adapting existing television and film libraries for vertical viewing. Its Epis site describes a process that combines human editorial work, AI-enabled reframing and sound design. In business terms, the companies are testing whether a known title and familiar performer can find another audience in an episode feed.
Recutting is not the same as writing vertical
A traditional soap scene can run through several conversations and plotlines before its payoff. A vertical episode made for a phone often establishes one immediate pressure and ends at a sharper turn. An editor can choose the strongest material, rearrange an arc and change the frame, but the original performances were not written or blocked for the new screen. The project may work very well for viewers. It is still a different creative process from developing a character and episode rhythm specifically for vertical drama.
The rights question behind the excitement
A catalogue adaptation depends on rights to the material. Variety reported comments from Fremantle and RoseBerry about creating new value from an existing library. The public announcement does not tell us what each performer, writer or director is paid from this particular vertical edition. It would be wrong to imply a royalty arrangement without seeing the agreements. As more archives are recut, those questions about consent, credit and compensation deserve precise answers rather than assumptions.
What original creators can learn
The deal is evidence that companies are interested in recognizable story worlds, but it does not mean independent creators should try to imitate an archive. A new series can do what a recut cannot: design the opening shot, phone framing, scene length and cliffhanger together from the start. It can make the relationship clear to a viewer who has never met the characters. Original work and catalogue adaptation can sit on the same app while offering different reasons to watch.
The question to watch next
The test will be whether viewers follow the recut story through multiple episodes, not merely click once because they recognize Robbie's name. If a legacy soap retains an audience in vertical form, more owners may revisit their libraries. If the episodes feel like disconnected fragments, the format will still need stories built for it. Either result is useful for writers paying attention to where this market is going.
Sources
Variety's September 29 original report, including statements from the companies: Read the source (au.variety.com) ; Epis description of its production approach: Read the source (epis.tv) . The creative and business implications above are analysis, not claims from the companies.
Continue exploring this topic
A practical revision check
• Is the project newly produced or recut archive material?
• Who owns the source material and new edit?
• Does the new episode stand on its own for a first-time viewer?
• What is known publicly about credit and compensation, and what remains unknown?
Viola Musaraj is a writer, novelist, micro and vertical drama producer, and interactive narrative designer with more than 140 million reads worldwide.
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