Welcome to what has apparently been allotted as Movie Location Announcement Day, as there is news on not just Marvel’s Avengers sequel and Transformers 4, but also David Fincher’s long-submerged attempt to make a new 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. It now appears that, after plenty of chatter about the idea, Fincher’s project will officially surface in Australia.
What has lured Disney and the filmmaking team Down Under? Well, aside from the obvious advantages of high-tech studios, beautiful oceans and attractive landscapes, there’s the small matter of a $20 million investment into the film’s budget as an incentive. It’s a similar payment to the one that lured 20th Century Fox and The Wolverine to Sydney.
“The announcement of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea to film in Australia will result in meaningful benefits for the industry and the economy; including jobs, skills and training, and investment back into the local industry,” says Debra Richards of Ausfilm. “This one-off payment highlights the importance of an attractive location offset which can successfully compete for large scale international production to shoot in Australia.” The deal should help create around 2,000 jobs on the film.
Fincher will be cranking his cameras in New South Wales and Queensland. As for actual details on the movie, there’s no word on casting or plot yet, though the plot has been through many writers including old Fincher pal Andrew Kevin Walker. Given today’s announcement, we expect things to start ramping up soon, assuming it all works out this time. In Fincher we trust...