Revealed: The six productions joining Avatar in getting border exemptions
Thursday, 2 July 2020
International workers for seven overseas productions have now been given permission to get past New Zealand's almost-closed borders.
They are forecast to bring 3000 jobs, and $400 million into New Zealand and mean famous faces including Robert Downey Junior, Viggo Mortensen, and Oscar-winning director Peter Farrelly could soon be joining the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, and Jane Campion here.
Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE) has revealed that, in addition to the Avatar and Power of the Dog crews already allowed in, there were international crews arriving for five further projects: The Lord of the Rings television series, Power Rangers, Cowboy Bebop, Sweet Tooth, and Greatest Beer Run Ever.
It meant that 206 film workers, along with 35 family members, had or would come into New Zealand, with all meeting their own quarantine or self-isolation costs, MBIE manager immigration policy Sian Roguski said.
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It has also been confirmed a further 10 Avatar crew - in addition to the 31 already here - had been granted border exemptions but had not yet arrived.
“While some of the crew have already arrived, such as Avatar, the workers involved in the other productions will arrive into the country across the next six months. This is subject to production timing, and managed quarantine availability,” Roguski said.
All exemptions, which allowed non-New Zealanders through the Covid-closed borders, were granted before June 18, at a time Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford needed to sign them off.
Twyford on Wednesday announced a boost in funding for international and domestic filmmakers and television shows in the wake of Covid-19, with more than $230 million pumped into projects.
“Our success at managing Covid-19 gives our country an opportunity to become one of the few countries still able to safely produce screen content,” he told a crowd of film executives and industry insiders at Parliament.
“And the inquiries and interest we are getting from international production houses tells me that the international film community sees New Zealand as something of a global safe haven.
“This is an opportunity friends that we must grab. Despite the turmoil that the world is facing, this is an exciting time for New Zealand’s screen sector.”
NZ Film Commission said shooting of The Lord of the Rings had not yet resumed but pre-production had begun. It has been asked for comment on the further films.
MBIE estimates that 3000 New Zealanders will be directly employed by the productions, which would bring in $400m to the economy.
“On average the workforce on each production will be made up of 90 per cent local talent. This leads to experience, upskilling, and mentorships for crews,” she said.
“It also highlights that New Zealand is leading the world in leveraging opportunities for screen and creative industries as we recover from the impact of Covid-19.”
Avatar (41 crew, not all who have yet arrived)
James Cameron’s first Avatar film employed more than 1500 people in New Zealand and injected about $100 million into Wellington's economy alone. It was the world’s highest-grossing movie when it was released in 2009. A series of sequels are now being made, largely around Wellington. The NZ Film Commission says Avatar 2 is now due out in December 2021.
Power of the Dog
(16 crew)
Jane Campion’s film The Power of the Dog, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst, was the second film announced as getting border exemptions to get into New Zealand. It was anticipated to spend over $30 million in New Zealand, the Film Commission said.
The Lord of the Rings television series
(93 crew plus 20 family)
The Amazon-streaming television series of The Lord of the Rings was already being made when lockdown came. It was shooting at studios across Auckland, as well as filming on site in other parts of New Zealand. Stuff understands many international crew weathered lockdown in New Zealand but a handful have been given border exemptions to get in.
Greatest Beer Run Ever
(11 crew)
Hollywood Reporter reported The Greatest Beer Run Ever was being directed by Oscar-winning director Peter Farrelly and is based on a book by Joanna Molloy and John Donohue. It is the true story of Donohue, who travelled from New York to Vietnam in 1967 to have a beer with childhood friends, in the army in Vietnam. Variety in June reported that Viggo Mortensen was in negotiations to star in it.
Power Rangers Beast Morphers
(Eight crew plus four family members)
According to New Zealand Film Commission, the Power Rangers Beast Morphers television series was due out in mid-2020 – a date presumably pushed out by Covid-19. IMDb described it as: “Set in the future, a secret agency combines a newly discovered substance called 'Morph-X' with animal DNA to create the Power Rangers Beast Morphers team.”
Cowboy Bebop
(19 crew plus nine family)
The Netflix production does not yet have a release date. IMDb describes the previous Cowboy Bebop television series, from the early 2000s, as following the “futuristic misadventures and tragedies of an easygoing bounty hunter and his partners”.
Sweet Tooth
(18 crew plus two family)
Sweet Tooth, which lists Robert Downey Junior as one executive director, is described on IMDb as being a TV movie about a half-human, half-deer boy surviving in a post-apocalyptic world with other hybrids. The NZ Film Commission says it does not yet have a release date.