How Wizards! movie, Pete Davidson, Orlando Bloom, Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry will benefit FNQ
An integral agent sworn to secrecy who helped bring Hollywood film Wizards! to the Far North has dropped interesting hints about the production. FIND OUT MORE
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THE famous Hollywood dream has turned into a genuine expectation that the Far North’s creative talent could be featured in the credits roll alongside A-Listers Pete Davidson and Orlando Bloom.
While their company has been the subject of clever tattlers, it’s no secret the pair are in the region for the filming of comedy movie Wizards! to be produced by the Brad Pitt’s company Plan B Entertainment.
It means for a budding creative, the opportunity to brush shoulders with any member of the first-rate crew could prove monumental for their career aspirations in an industry where it’s all about “who you know”.
Mulgrave MP Curtis Pitt who has been a strong proponent for the region’s screen industry including the approval of a plan to convert the former Bunnings warehouse into a professional film studio was tight-lipped on most details around the production, but assured there were opportunities for locals to be involved.
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“I can certainly say we have local people who are involved in casting, so there will be genuine opportunities for people to get roles as extras without a doubt,” he said.
Mr Pitt said while was involved in the deal to secure the production for the region, non-disclosure agreements restricted him from revealing key details.
Asked how many cast and crew would be arriving in the Far North, he said: “They’re going to at times need 40 car parks set aside.”
While he said filming was set to begin “imminently,” as for duration he said if anyone was to speculate on how long they’d spend in the region, “you wouldn’t be far off saying ‘a few months’.”
Mr Pitt would also not be drawn on specific locations of filming but did reveal one factor that drew the production to the Far North.
“The idea of (the studio) as much as anything else is part of the reason why they’ve chosen to come to Cairns. We’ve got people who work in this industry, who are based in Cairns, they’re doing their job (of attracting productions) well because they fly under the radar.”
Mr Pitt said to ensure the region continued to attract top-level productions it was important to create a technical document that showcased the Far North’s filmic ability.
“This usually falls to the councils, but they’ve got a locations guide together. And that’s really important to allow productions to do their desktop research before they commit to a location. Essentially it’s a photobook of sorts of terrains and landscapes we have in the region. And there would be spots we drive past all the time, without thinking about it ‘through the lens’.”
For former Cairns State High School student turned professional filmmaker Leroy Button, the presence of a Hollywood production in his backyard is something he could have only dreamt of.
The camera operator with XM2 Cinematography on the Gold Coast who’s worked on the set of Fast & Furious 9, Aquaman and James Bond said any budding filmmaker should look to jump at any opportunity they can get their hands on.
“It’s all about who you know, so even if you want to be operating cameras, but they let you on set just to get coffees, absolutely take that up,” he said.
Far North filmmaker, writer and actor Lisa Bertoldo, who’s recent professional full-length film Lindy Lou was currently in post-production said a lot of the region’s creative arts talent would certainly be hopeful of a call up.
“It can be massive, to have your name on IMDB, or to have on your resume that you we’re involved in a production like this because the next project you go to, they know what you’re going to be able to bring already,” she said.
Platinum Model Management owner Jade Turnbull said the film will provide a lot of opportunities to the region.
“In light of the new movie studio. I feel we are going to start receiving more big time productions,” she said.
“I do feel like it’s the start of the Far North flourishing again.
But the opportunities aren’t just for the film industry, Tourism Port Douglas CEO Tara Bennett said it will put the Daintree region on the global stage.
“When it is released, it will provide a talking point for the location as to where it was filmed and the extraordinary natural landscape it will show, we hope,” she said.
“It’s got lots of layers of how it can benefit both now and the future.
Ms Bennett said celebrities coming into the region gave it publicity money couldn’t buy.
Businesses in the Daintree area are also excited to have the blockbuster filmed there in hopes tourism will boom.
Lawrence Mason the General Manager of Mason’s Store in Cape Tribulation said despite there being plenty of buzz surrounding the new blockbuster, the Daintree is no stranger to the film industry. “We have a history of movies being filmed in the area like the Thin Red Line and The Island of Dr. Moreau, so many community members have experienced this before”
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Originally published as How Wizards! movie, Pete Davidson, Orlando Bloom, Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry will benefit FNQ
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