Paradise Lost to be filmed in NSW
Acting NSW Premier and Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Stoner today announced the Alex Proyas-directed film Paradise Lost will be produced in Sydney.
Written by Lawrence Kasdan, Paradise Lost is a fantasy based on John Milton’s poem, which will see Bradley Cooper cast as Lucifer and is slated for a 2013 release.
The film will bring an estimated $88 million in production expenditure and an estimated 1,300 jobs to NSW, including over $20 million and 200 jobs in the visual effects area. Pre-production is expected to run for 20 weeks with principal shooting and motion capture at eight weeks and 72 weeks of post-production and visual effects work.
Bringing the film to Sydney is a coup for local technicians who have been struggling with the lack of big budget films over the last few years and due to the strength of the Australian dollar.
At Fox Studios for a press conference today, Mr Stoner said, “I am delighted to announce the visionary Australian director Alex Proyas, who has directed films including I, Robot and Knowing, will bring his next film to Sydney. With fierce competition from rival locations in the United States and Canada, there is no doubt securing Paradise Lost is a major win for the NSW film industry.”
“When in Los Angeles recently, I met the team at Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures, and encouraged them to produce Paradise Lost in Sydney. The NSW Government was determined to secure the production of Paradise Lost for the NSW film industry. To filmmakers and producers around the world I say, NSW is open for business once more – we are determined to make NSW Number One Again. Paradise Lost will see the next generation of post-Avatar motion capture work undertaken right here in Sydney.”
Alex Proyas said, “I’m delighted to have found such overwhelming support here in NSW for such a unique film offering unparalleled exposure for NSW cast and crew to the cutting edge technology that will be used in the making of Paradise Lost.”
Proyas’ film, Dark City (1998) was one of the first films shot at Sydney’s Fox Studios.
