REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Saturday March 27, 2010

THE Gold Coast’s chance to secure filming of the $100 million Battleship movie was sunk due to an ‘unsupportive’ federal government.

The big-budget blockbuster, a sci-fi remake of the popular board game, would have been one of the most expensive movies to be filmed in Australia and was tipped to cement the Gold Coast’s reputation as an indemand location.

Efforts by state film body Screen Queensland reportedly had Universal Studios keen to film at the Warner Roadshow Studios at Movie World.

However, an insider said the production giant pulled out due to a lack of support via government tax incentives.

‘‘We were supposed to get it but apparently the government was unsupportive and making things difficult,’’ he said.

‘‘So Louisiana came in with a better deal and they have gone to shoot there instead.’’

Sanctum location manager Chris Strewe said there had been a lot of talk about losing the film within the industry and people were ‘very disappointed’.

‘‘Screen Queensland were really the good guys here, But it was the federal government film body (Screen Australia) that wouldn’t give them the tax incentives,’’ he said.

‘‘For the crew here it’s devastating. I don’t know how many jobs it would have created because I haven’t read the script, but it would have been a lot.’’

Screen Australia said it was unable to comment.

‘‘Because the Producer Offset tax goes through the taxation system we are legally not allowed to comment,’’ said a spokeswoman.