Written by new-contact on Aug 14, 2012. Posted in On Location

Australian studio considers future as Mad Max films on location in Namibia

George Miller’s dystopian sequel Mad Max: Fury Road is now filming on location in Namibia. The feature project has been off and on for several years and was originally scheduled to film on location in Australia, but freak weather conditions forced a change of plan.

Miller initially picked new studio facilities in Broken Hill, a mining town in New South Wales, and planned to use some of the region’s desolate landscapes to capture Mad Max’s apocalyptic tone. The production spent nearly AUD2 million on pre-production in the region, but the plan had to be abandoned when unseasonal rains turned the area into a lush land of greenery.

With the location shoot relocated to Namibia (and Moonlighting providing local servicing), authorities in Broken Hill are looking for ways to continue developing the Broken Hill Studios facility in the coming years, and they're optimistic about its future.

Broken Hill Studios has the potential to become the Hollywood of the Outback.

Frank Zaknich, Broken Hill City Council

Frank Zaknich heads the city council and spoke recently to The Australian: “Broken Hill Studios has the potential to become the Hollywood of the Outback, a fully-functional film studio in a uniquely isolated urban centre whose multi-talented population has a proven track record in support and assistance on any film project.”

Losing Mad Max to a Namibia location shoot was another recent blow for the Australian film industry, but the country has international focus at the moment with Hugh Jackman’s X-Men follow-up The Wolverine using Sydney's Fox Studios as a base.