A studio dedicated to East-West co-productions is being planned for development 30 minutes outside Beijing in China. Beijing-based Seven Stars Entertainment is working with the Government of the Binhai New Area, Tianjin, to plan the expansive facility.
Ohio’s filming industries are pushing for the state filming incentive to be renewed and improved as its expiry approaches as The Avengers rolls out to cinemas around the world. The hotly-anticipated comic book film shot partly in Cleveland, doubling the mid-western metropolis for New York City.
James Cameron has declared his interest in bringing audiovisual projects to China in co-production agreements. Cameron is more interested in studio infrastructure, given his specialism in 3D production, but he’s agreed that China is worth serious consideration.
Marvel’s upcoming superhero sequel Iron Man 3 has announced it will film partly on location in China. Disney, Marvel’s parent company, has a co-production deal with Beijing-based DMG Entertainment. In the US the film will be based at EUE/Screen Gem Studios in North Carolina.
A major expansion plan at Pinewood Studios in the UK has been halted. ‘Project Pinewood’ would have included a 100-acre set, but planning permission has been refused. The development would have included permanent sets for cities like New York, Venice and New Orleans.
North Carolina and its EUE/Screen Gem Studios are likely to have a strong 2012 given the state’s 2011 success. Figures from the North Carolina Film Office show the state almost tripled its annual takings from direct production spend, making some USD220 million.
Filmmaker Kenneth Branagh has scouted locations on the island of Guernsey for his new feature project, an adaptation of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Guernsey is a British Crown dependency and is part of the Channel Islands off France’s Normandy coast.
Marvel Studios will start filming Iron Man 3 in North Carolina in May. Shooting is scheduled from May to September, using EUE/Screen Gem Studios as a base. It took a full year of negotiations to secure the shoot, with Michigan, New Mexico and Georgia all originally in contention.