It may have something to do with a massive injection of funds from the government, but it’s more fun to think it’s because of our awesome ways and great coffee. Whatever the real reason, news has come from New Asgard that the next instalment, Thor: Love And War will be shot locally.
The previous instalment of the beloved Norse god superhero, Thor: Ragnarok was filmed in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast. This time around, New South Wales has been deemed the worthy location. As mentioned above, the specific reason for the location may still be unclear, but it looks as though the fact the Government has agreed to tap into the $140 million allocated towards major Hollywood productions probably helped.
Of the $140 million allocated to lure large-scale Hollywood productions to our shore, a cool $24.1 million has been carved out for Love and Thunder.
The benefits of filming locally far outweigh the fact that you may be lucky enough to cop a selfie with one of the stars – Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth. Federal Communications Minister Paul Fletcher has detailed some of these other benefits.
“The film is expected to invest over $178 million in our economy, create up to 2500 jobs and use the services of around 1650 businesses,”
Which is cool, and all, but imagine a self with the female Thor herself, Natalie Portman.
It’s more than an economic win as well. As part of the arrangement with the NSW Government, Marvel Studios will be lifting the next generation of Australian film makers via a trainee program open to those enrolled at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, National Institute of Dramatic Arts and other local universities.
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Chris Hemsworth seems pretty stoked that he won’t have to travel too far from his Byron Bay home to work, explaining that while everything is still in its early days, the plan is to do all filming in New South Wales.
“My goal has been to shoot here more often. There’s such an incredible work ethic here. Being able to stay home and put the kids to bed in their own home as opposed to dragging them across the globe to various hotels is [also] hugely important. My wife is certainly happy.”
Production for the film is set to begin in March 2020, as per SMH, with filming expected to kick off the following August.
