Brad Pitt Disney film set to be made in Australia
A new big budget Hollywood production could be made on Australian shores following discussions between the federal government and Disney.
Executives for the studio are currently in Australia to nail down a location for 20,000 Leagues Under The
Sea: Captain Nemo, to be directed by Fight Club’s David Fincher and rumoured to star Brad Pitt.
Executives have not confirmed a definite location but have looked at NSW, Victoria and the Gold Coast.
Arts Minister Crean has been working to secure the remake of the film, adapted from the Jules Verne novel, on Australian shores.
The Daily Telegraph reports Crean has confirmed federal government approval and support for the film and would be meeting with Disney executives this morning at Parliament House to finalise the deal.
Last year Wolverine received an additional $12.8m on top of the 16.5 per cent tax rebate to film on location in Australia, the equivalent of an increase to the proposed 30 per cent.
Kristy Officer, head of marketing & business development for Ausfilm said should the film be shot in Australia: “It would be a an excellent outcome and positive boost for the economy and the industry in regards to the development of employment opportunities and economic development for which ever state gets it. It will be a bigger production than Wolverine so it will be well over 2000 jobs.”
The government claimed production of Wolverine created 2000 jobs and brought $80m to the state.
Wolverine stars and was co-produced by Hugh Jackman. The Australian portion of the shoot was filmed at Sydney’s Fox Studios in the second half of last year. At the time production began, Jackman impressed upon Prime Minister Gillard about the importance of Blockbusters to the Australian film industry.
Well yet another rent seeking Hollywood studio successfully lobbies the Federal government for even more subsidy. I am sorry Mr Crean but these short term incentives only provide short term benefits and the supposed 2000 jobs on Wolverine included extras. When are governments going to realise that Hollywood movies are just a manufacturing enterprise which troll the world looking for subsidies? It is much worse than the continuing subsidy for the car industry in Australia. At least this industry does provide fulltime employment and in some cases export opportunities though withdrawing subsidy to it makes plain financial sense.
It would actually make much more sense to put this money into technology research. Wasn’t it the CSIRO which discovered WiFi and is now enjoying hundreds of millions dollards in royalties after the foreign tech companies stole the technology but the CSIRO put the legal hounds on to them and won. Dumb government.
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Oh shut up Harry, stop being an old grump. 🙂
Cant wait, sounds like fun and cant wait to feel the buzz around town!
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All for this kind of enticement, as long as any public investment equates to royalties
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