Ned Kelly is a 2003 Australian historical drama film based on Robert Drewe's 1991 novel Our Sunshine. Directed by Gregor Jordan, the film's adapted screenplay was written by John Michael McDonagh. The film dramatises the life of Ned Kelly, a legendary bushranger and outlaw who was active mostly in Victoria, the colony of his birth. In the film, Kelly, his brother Dan, and two other associates—Steve Hart and Joe Byrne—form a gang of Irish Australians in response to Irish and English tensions that arose in 19th century Australia. Heath Ledger stars in the title role, with Orlando Bloom, Naomi Watts and Geoffrey Rush.