Filming begins at Kardinia Park for new movie about NFL player John Tuggle
Filming at GMHBA Stadium for a new Hollywood movie about an underdog NFL player could set a new precedent for the sports precinct.
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Filming at Kardinia Park for a big budget Hollywood movie could set a new precedent for the sports precinct.
Currently under the working title of “Untitled John Tuggle Project”, close to 800 cast and crew members have been working at the ground since late last month.
The Jonathon Levine-directed film is about the New York Giants’ pick in the 1983 draft, John Tuggle, and stars David Corenswet who will also appear as Superman in the next celluloid instalment.
It is the first time a film production has been staged at Kardinia Park – coming with what is believed to be the site’s biggest hire fee – and is expected to create a $29m economic impact.
The first week was dedicated to preparation and this week to filming, with more than 100 extras sourced from the Australian gridiron community, including in Geelong, across Victoria and in Sydney and Brisbane.
The Skydance Sports production – expected to create 825 jobs for screen workers and extras –
follows the filming of action thriller, Liam Neeson-starring The Mongoose, across the state.
On Thursday, Megamix producer Gillian Bohrer said discussions about filming locations began in the final months of 2024, with Australia quickly emerging as the ideal place.
The MCG and Marvel Stadium were considered as locations but could not provide enough shooting days.
Bohrer strongly believed GMHBA Stadium and Bundoora’s La Trobe University had “everything we need to shoot American football”.
“It’s been such a warm environment to shoot in,” Bohrer said.
“It’s also been great to be able to bring in the Victorian gridiron community, we’ve found players from all over the country but particularly here in Victoria and even here in Geelong.”
Bohrer said the size of Australian sports grounds created excess room for equipment and crew compared to back in the US, with visual effects used later in the production process to further replicate stadiums for the movie.
Scenes will also be shot at Bundoora to replicate a training camp at Pace University just outside New York, while gyms, locker rooms and offices were constructed: “La Trobe has been a great match.”
Walls were also built around GMHBA’s perimeter to resemble an NFL stadium.
Meanwhile, executive producer Stan Wlodkowski came to Melbourne in January to ensure they had the right location.
“I came out here and looked at (Kardinia Park), I got on the phone pretty quickly and said: ‘I think this can work’,” Wlodkowski said.
He said Adelaide was a consideration if a Victorian location could not be found.
However, he stressed every precaution was taken to ensure the ground wasn’t negatively impacted for the remainder of Geelong’s season.
“The managers of the Cats are very very protective of the field, there’s a guy that has a very high tech app on his phone knowing the moisture on every square metre of that field,” he said.
“Just needing to work with them to protect it but also use it for what we need, it takes months.
“Lawyers, both in LA and Melbourne and Geelong made a few bucks off this, because the document that supports the ability to film here is quite a few pages long.
“It takes weeks to get the field ready for what we need ... to build walls and whatnot, they really couldn’t give us the prep time leading up to the shoot (at the MCG or Marvel Stadium).”
Meanwhile, Wlodkowski said Australia was “having a moment right now” in terms of being a preferred location for filming.
“The combination of the tax incentives, the dollars are working still in our favour at the moment, and world class crews and locations and a kind of can-do spirit and wanting to collaborate,” he said.
“I would absolutely encourage all of the studios to look at the various venues which exist here.
“Australia right now hits a sweet spot in terms of budgeting ... because it has such a variety of locations.”
Kardinia Park Stadium Trust chief executive Gerard Griffin said the Cats would be back on the ground by Monday with production to be scaled down from Friday morning.
He said it was a great learning curve to see what is required for a major filming exercise at GMHBA Stadium.
“We hope we’ve put ourselves a little bit on the map now and be considered as a legitimate venue to be a stadia in films,” Griffin said.
“Geelong should be really proud that it’s got a venue that’s being used ... to do a whole range of things.
“It shows the opportunity for the stadium and the park, without compromising what’s already here, the opportunity to utilise it for a lot more things.”
Local MP Christine Couzens said over $500,000 would be spent on accommodation in Geelong, making it a “real touchdown” for the region.
“We’re not just making a movie, we’re helping to tell Geelong’s story to the world,” Couzens said.
“It’s helping to redefine what’s possible here at Kardinia Park.
“It’s fast becoming a truly multipurpose venue, a space not just for elite sport, but for entertainment, cultural events and now film.
“An important boost that supports the trust’s vision to open the stadium to even more diverse opportunities.”
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Originally published as Filming begins at Kardinia Park for new movie about NFL player John Tuggle
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