This article is part of Greenlight — The Latch’s commitment to the Australian film industry. For more content in this series, click here.
Australia will once again be the home for the filming of one of the Godzilla films, with the sequel to 2021’s Godzilla vs Kong slated for production on the Gold Coast later in 2022.
Godzilla vs Kong was filmed in the region in 2019 and Kong: Skull Island was filmed there in 2016, making the latest instalment the third time a Monsterverse title has been shot Down Under.
The Hollywood Reporter has previously suggested that the title Son of Kong is being floated around for the tentpole.
The production is another huge boon for the Australian film industry, with the film expected to inject more than AUD $119 million into the economy, employ more than 500 local cast and crew, and use more than 750 extras.
Said Queensland Premier Anastasia Palaszczuk in a statement, “The production is expected to inject more than double the $36.5 million that Godzilla vs Kong brought to the state and is a welcome boost to our economy as we recover from the impacts of the global pandemic and southeast Queensland flooding events.
“These types of productions benefit our screen industry, deliver local jobs and provide a welcome boost to our small businesses and communities in and around our production sites.”
The Godzilla vs Kong sequel is the latest international production to be enticed to our shores, partly thanks to the generous incentives offered projects of its kind. The sequel, which does not yet have an official title, will receive AUD $16 million from the Australian federal government’s AUD$540 million Location Incentive Program. Screen Queensland will subsidise a further AUD $6.3 million.
“The highly skilled crews, first-rate facilities, and unique locations make filming in Australia a great experience,” said producer Eric McLeod. “The support from both the federal government as well as Queensland has always been critical to our success in achieving a high level of filmmaking and an unparalleled audience experience.”
Godzilla vs Kong, which was shot at Village Roadshow Studios, and on location around the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Ipswich, employed over 1200 local crew members, cast, extras, and stunt performers. Screen Queensland CEO Kylie Munnich said that in addition to creating those jobs, the movie injected an estimated $36.5 million into the Queensland economy.
The film, from Legendary Entertainment, made USD 467.9 million at the global box office.
It has not yet been confirmed if director Adam Wingard will return to helm the sequel but he has previously told Deadline, “The clear starting point we teed up (in Godzilla vs Kong), exploring Hollow Earth, I think there is a lot more to do there. This is a pre-history of Planet Earth, where all the titans come from. We tee up some mystery in this film, things I want to see resolved and explored and pushed to the next level.”
Queensland’s state incentives have proven to be a popular draw to the region with recent international productions such as George Clooney and Julia Roberts’ Ticket to Paradise, Ron Howard’s Thirteen Lives, Dwayne Johnson’s Young Rock series and Tiger King drama Joe Vs Carole all using the area as their filming location. The Disney Plus series Nautilus is currently filming there.
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