Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Entertainment’s Godzilla vs. Kong is currently filming at the Village Roadshow Studios as well as on location at the Gold Coast. ABC International’s Reef Break, and Paramount Pictures’ Monster Problems will commence filming iminently, at the new Screen Queensland Studios located in Queensland’s capital city, Brisbane.

Godzilla Vs. Kong

Queensland has developed a strong international reputation for making world-class screen content for an international audience and this was evident most recently with Aquaman grossing over $1 billion at the global box office.

Arriving at the Gold Coast from Hawaii, Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Entertainment’s Godzilla vs. Kong, will spend over 26 weeks in Queensland including pre and principal production.

The Premier of Queensland announced this latest major production last month. The project was attracted as part of the State Government’s $50 million production attraction strategy providing funding certainty to secure back-to-back productions to Queensland.

The Queensland Government’s Production Attraction Fund has managed to establish a significant pipeline of screen production including Aquaman, Dora The Explorer, Kong: Skull Island, Thor: Ragnarok, Pacific Rim: Uprising and TV series Reef Break, Harrow and Tidelands currently streaming on Netflix.

Godzilla Vs. Kong located to Queensland because of competitive incentives offered by the federal and state governments and complemented by talented crew and creatives, diverse locations, and world-class studios and facilities.

The Queensland Premier and Screen Queensland met with Legendary Pictures executives in Los Angeles last year to negotiate Godzilla Vs. Kong in order to create jobs, direct investment and continue to build Queensland’s reputation as the home of screen production, post-production and innovative collaborations.

Godzilla Vs. Kong builds on the productive relationship the Queensland Government and Screen Queensland has fostered with Legendary Entertainment and follows on from Kong: Skull Island and Pacific Rim: Uprising also previously shooting in Queensland.

Warner Bros. will release Godzilla vs. Kong in May 2020.

Reef Break

The ABC Studios International’s crime drama Reef Break has also commenced physical production on location on the Gold Coast as well as at Village Roadshow Studios.

Reef Break is another production attracted by the Federal Government incentives and to Queensland via the State Government’s production attraction strategy.

The Queensland Premier and Screen Queensland also met with Disney who owns ABC Studios International last June in a bid to attract more ABC television productions to Queensland.

The series is Disney’s international production division’s second global commission after the Queensland-made crime drama Harrow, produced by Hoodlum Entertainment for broadcaster ABC Australia and supported by the Queensland Government, which is currently filming its second series in Brisbane.

Reef Break stars Australian-born Poppy Montgomery, who is also the executive producer on the series.

There will be an estimated eight Queensland cast positions along with 100 casual days for Queensland extras.  The series will employ 75 per cent Queensland crew along with approximately four attachment opportunities for local people to upskill and create meaningful career pathways.

Reef Break has also been ordered by France’s M6 and is based on Poppy Montgomery’s concept along with writer Ken Sanzel. It centres around the main character Cat Chambers (Poppy Montgomery), a thief-turned-fixer for the governor of a stunning and seductive Pacific Island paradise. 

Reef Break will air on the ABC Network in the U.S. as well as M6 in France.

Monster Problems

Reef Break and Godzilla Vs. Kong follow off the back of Paramount Pictures’ live action feature film Dora the Explorer, single-handedly attracted to Queensland by state government incentives and support.

The Queensland Government recently announced Paramount Pictures is returning to Queensland with Monster Problems, the first film to utilise the newly launched $12 million fit-for-purpose Screen Queensland Studios based in Hemmant, Brisbane, to commence filming soon.

Monster Problems will create 260 job opportunities for local crew and additional days for cast and extras, plus $29 million in direct spend in Queensland.

As well as filming at the Screen Queensland Studios, Monster Problems will also showcase Queensland’s stunning and diverse South East locations.

Monster Problems is a coming of age feature film about a young man living in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by monsters. It is being produced by Shawn Levy (Stranger Things, Imaginary Mary) and written by Brian Duffield (Olive Forever, The Babysitter, Insurgent).

The film comes from the Paramount Players division of Paramount Pictures and will be directed by Michael Matthews.