Written by Tom Deehan on Feb 3, 2017. Posted in On Location / Production News

The stakes are raised as Sharknado 5 heads for global shoot

The fifth instalment of SyFy’s Sharknado series has now entered into production, filming on location in Bulgaria. After the Bulgarian shoot is complete, the project will travel to the UK, Australia and two other countries that have yet to be specified.

While previous entries in the series have filmed entirely in the US, Sharknado 5 will bring the horrifying prospect of sharks in tornados to the rest of the world. The film’s international scope was teased at the end of Sharknado: The 4^th awakens as part of the Eifel Tower fell from the sky, landing in Niagara Falls.

Due to its cost-effectiveness, Bulgaria has become a location of choice for international projects with low to mid-range budgets. Recent productions include Danny Boyle’s T2: Trainspotting and Ariel Vromen’s Criminal. The country’s reputation may soon change however, as it remains one of the last few Eastern European countries without a tax incentive.

The UK and Australia on the other hand have greater experience in catering to high-budget productions. Both countries offer a financial incentive – a 25% tax rebate on expenditure in the UK and a 16.5% tax offset for shoots in Australia.

Tara Reid and Ian Ziering have returned to reprise their roles as April Wexler and Fin Shepherd respectively.

Thanks to its outlandish premise, the Sharknado series has become a cult hit with a large online fan base. The films are made extremely low budgets ranging from USD1.5 million to USD3 million, with Sharknado 5’s budget expected to be closer to the latter.