Movie loss a Thor point
FATE has willed many things in the Thor movies, but shooting the next film here is not one of them.
The Gold Coast has lost out on becoming the filming location for Thor: Love and Thunder.
The Federal Government and star Chris Hemsworth announced yesterday the big budget Marvel film would be shot at Sydney’s Fox Studios early next year.
It is understood filming dates for Thor: Love and Thunder were incompatible with the availability of the Village Roadshow Studios, which will be used for director Baz Luhrmann’s unnamed Elvis biopic.
The Coast had previously hosted the filming of 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok.
As recently as Tuesday city leaders had been pushing for the sequel to be shot here.
“This is extremely disappointing news but our film industry is thriving and we won’t miss a beat in continuing to attract blockbuster films and TV shows here,’’ Mayor Tom Tate said yesterday.
“Our track record speaks for itself and while we would have loved to welcome the God of Thunder back to the Gold Coast, we will be very happy to instead host the King of Rock’n’Roll when Elvis starts filming in the near future.”
Gold Coast North Chamber of Commerce president Martin Brady urged the State Government to keep lobbying for bigbudget movies once the Elvis film was completed.
“Obviously, missing out on Thor is deeply disappointing,” he said. “The State Government has substantially invested in the film industry, especially with the new sound stage at Oxenford.
“We certainly need more big-budget films coming through here to make the most of this investment, which was a legacy of the Commonwealth Games.”
A government spokesman said more productions to be filmed on the Gold Coast were being sought.
“As we look forward to Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis epic being shot on the Gold Coast, Screen Queensland is already hard at work on securing more productions to follow in Elvis’s footsteps,” the spokesman said.
Marvel announced last weekend it would release Thor: Love and Thunder in late 2021, bringing back local superstar Hemsworth in the title role and director Taika Waititi.
The pair headlined the Gold Coast-shot 2017 film Thor: Ragnarok, a global smash hit which generated more than $854 million at the box office.
Hemsworth attended the announcement in Sydney yesterday and said he was glad to be returning to the role.
“It’ll be interesting to see what happens with Thor in this film,” he said.
Thor: Love and Thunder will also bring back Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie and Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Thor’s love interest who will gain the powers of the Norse god in the new film.
“The film is expected to invest over $178 million in our economy, create up to 2500 jobs and use the services of around 650 businesses,” Federal Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said. “Australia has an ongoing relationship with Marvel Studios and I’m very pleased they will return to our shores again next year to take advantage of our worldleading screen industry.”