Natalie Portman to stay in Sydney to shoot Days Of Abandonment
After wrapping Chris Hemsworth’s Marvel blockbuster Thor: Love and Thunder, Academy Award winner Natalie Portman is hanging around in Sydney.
Confidential
Don't miss out on the headlines from Confidential. Followed categories will be added to My News.
After wrapping Chris Hemsworth’s Marvel blockbuster Thor: Love and Thunder, Academy Award winner Natalie Portman will begin shooting a new big budget flick in Sydney this week.
Cameras will start rolling on HBO America production of Days Of Abandonment on Thursday with Portman to star alongside Rafe Spall and Mary-Louise Parker.
It comes at a good time given many in the industry feared the latest Covid outbreak of the Delta strain of the virus could stop international productions coming to NSW.
It is in fact an extremely busy time as the Australian industry leads the way on film and television productions with Covid-safe protocols with Nicole Kidman currently shooting US TV series Roar and Russell Crowe having recently began production on his film, Poker Face.
“We are very appreciative to have the opportunity to safely film in Australia alongside the talented people who live and work in the country,” the executive producer team of Maggie Betts, Celine Rattray, Sophie Mas and Len Amato said. “Everyone has been so welcoming and we look forward to a successful production.”
Betts wrote the script for Days of Abandonment based on the book of the same name by Elena Ferrante.
She will also direct the production, for which the Federal Government has invested $3.4 million as part of its location incentive program to bring international productions Down Under.
Portman, who arrived in Australia in September to film Thor, was on Tuesday photographed greeting producing partner Mas at her Sydney rental. The pair run a production company together called MountainA.
Communications Minister Paul Fletcher expects the production to generate more than $25 million for the local economy.
“Days of Abandonment will directly create more than 200 jobs for cast and crew, 500 extras roles, and use the services of an estimated 400 businesses across New South Wales when they begin filming in July,” Mr Fletcher said.
Days of Abandonment is the story of a woman named Tess (Portman), a woman who abandoned her own dreams for a stable home life, is in turn abandoned by her husband. As a result, her world is thrown off its axis.
“NSW is the creative heart of Australia, employing 56 per cent of the people in our screen industry and there is no better place for production of this feature film,” Minister Harwin said.
‘The NSW Government’s Made in NSW fund is supporting Days of Abandonment. This production will showcase the talent and expertise of our incredibly talented actors, producers and crew to showcase, and at the same time stimulate our local economy by bringing jobs right across the trades, hospitality and transport sectors who support them.”
More international productions are set to come to Australia over the coming months with the likes of Joe Exotic, Ticket To Paradise and Irreverent all taking advantage of the location incentive funding.
More film and television productions are scheduled to film later this year and early 2022 including Joe Exotic, Irreverent and Ticket to Paradise.
‘I’m too smart’: How league great took on beer giants
They said it couldn’t be done because it sounded too much like an American beer giant but former rugby league player Mark Carroll didn’t listen.
All the photos from record breaking Everest
Sydneysiders flocked to a sellout Everest Day at Royal Randwick on Saturday. Have we spotted you there?