Bana turns down 'Underbelly' role

Eric Bana has turned down an offer to appear in the prequel series of Australian crime drama Underbelly.

The Munich star has confessed to being a fan of the Channel 9 series, which focused on gangland killings in Melbourne that occurred between 1995 and 2004, but is unavailable for the second series as he is working on the Judd Apatow film Funny People.

Bana's manager Lauren Bergman said: "Eric was grateful to be approached but is focusing on various film commitments."

Channel 9 confirmed that Underbelly 2 would be set in the '70s and '80s in Sydney, King's Cross and Melbourne.

The stars from the first series, Les Hill, Callan Mulvey and Damian Walshe-Howling, are not expected to return.

"It's going to be a whole new set of characters based on real-life people," a spokeswoman said.