Screen Australia has announced its support for Australian/Chinese co-production The Nest 3D, a visual effects-driven story of an ancient Chinese mummified emperor brought back to life. Production will take place mainly in Queensland, which recently hosted Unbroken.
Location filming has wrapped in Alabama for USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage, which recounts the sinking of the USS Indianapolis in the dying days of the Second World War. Alabama offers a 25% filming incentive for productions spending at least half a million dollars.
American cable channel AMC has commissioned docudrama series The Making of the Mob: Chicago as a follow-up to The Making of the Mob: New York. The channel is also backing The West, a separate docudrama tracing the history of America’s Old West from 1865 to 1890.
Slavery drama Underground is among the latest TV series to film in Louisiana. The ten-part miniseries is one of several US productions tackling the issue of slavery in America before the Civil War of the 1860s. A remake of classic drama Roots will also be shot in Louisiana.
Matthew McConaughey will film scenes for prospecting feature Gold in New Mexico for a few weeks from mid-August. The movie is reportedly inspired by the true story of a notorious mid-1990s mining scandal that involved the apparent discovery of gold in the Indonesian jungle.
Netflix drama Bloodline has secured two Emmy nominations ahead of scheduled second season filming in the Florida Keys. The series tells a dark story of family secrets and has qualified for state support through Florida’s now defunct filming incentive.
Authorities in British Columbia have announced a new film and TV office for Los Angeles. Vancouver is one of the top production centres in North America and a regular double for California. Comic book drama Deadpool has been a high-profile recent visitor.
Mel Gibson will direct true-life Second World War feature Hacksaw Ridge on location in New South Wales (NSW) with a base in Sydney at Fox Studios Australia. The film will tell the story of Desmond Doss, the only conscientious objector to ever win the US Medal of Honor.