A short location shoot for Star Wars: Episode VII reportedly starts today on the island of Skellig Michael off the coast of County Kerry in south-western Ireland. The island became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996 and is home to the ruins of a medieval monastery.
China is developing plans for a new Film City in Anji, near Shanghai. Working through a partnership with authorities in Cannes, three Chinese entities want to develop a special zone inspired by the French city’s cultural impact that will provide film services and a dedicated festival.
JAMPRO, the Jamaican Film Commission, is looking to the future with the appointment of Carole Beckford as the organisation’s new Film Commissioner. In her new position, Beckford will oversee all of Jamaica’s cultural industries.
Australian actor Sam Worthington, star of James Cameron’s Avatar, is set to film new feature Hunter’s Prayer on location in Hungary and in Yorkshire, in north-east England. The movie will tell the story of a lone assassin protecting a small girl as they're pursued across Europe.
American TV dramas Tyrant and Dig have relocated from their Israel filming locations due to the continuing violence in Gaza and Israel. Tyrant is shooting the remainder of its first season in Turkey and Dig is switching to Albuquerque in New Mexico.
Action star Dwayne Johnson is filming scenes for his upcoming earthquake disaster movie San Andreas on location in San Francisco. The city is in fact a relatively minor pit-stop for the film, which is not eligible for filming incentive support in California as a big-budget production.
Film set recycling company Drèsd has opened a new base at The Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol in south-west England. The company specialises in recycling sets from film and TV productions, and the development marks the firm’s first move beyond the south-east of England.
The long-running US crime drama NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) starts filming its spinoff series NCIS: New Orleans on location in Louisiana this week. Special episodes were shot in New Orleans earlier this year as a pilot of sorts, but much of the studio work was filmed in California.