New Zealand is poised to reap the benefits of yet another big budget film with the companies behind the Narnia movies – Disney and Walden Media – hoping to make their next film in the country.
Prince Caspian is the latest Narnia film. It is to be directed by kiwi Andrew Adamson and a final decision on the shooting location will be made in the next few weeks.
But there’s much more at stake with Walden Media wanting to build a state of the art studio and make Auckland its permanent home. This would potentially be the largest film investment New Zealand has ever seen and would be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Bridge to Terabithia is the latest joint production from Walden and Walt Disney Studios – the people who brought us The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.
The mythical world of Terabithia is being brought to life in celluloid deep in the heart of Woodhill Forest, north of Auckland. The film is the tale of two young friends who create an imaginary kingdom full of mythical beings and its young American stars are film veterans.
But while the stars are foreign, the 150 strong crew is about 97% kiwi.
Cary Granat, the chief executive of Walden Media, says while they are still recruiting people from Australia and the US it’s less and less.
“Walden’s very committed right now to continuing to grow its activity in and around Auckland and all over New Zealand…it’s just a great atmosphere here, it doesn’t feel over commercialised, it feels like you’re in a place that’s really special, with so many distinct locations,” Granat told Close Up.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe was filmed in locations around New Zealand and an old draughty hangar at Auckland’s Hobsonville airbase.
The old aircraft hangar is about to be taken over for yacht building, leaving nowhere for Prince Caspian – the latest Narnia film – to be based.
“We’re in that exploratory stage of conversation…we’re talking about sizeable films because we have six more of the Narnia films plus many others. I would have loved to have shot Charlotte’s Web here, but… the space was not available here and we had to take it to Australia,” says Granat.
Housing New Zealand has come up with a short term solution offering another hangar and the government is keen for a long term compromise, balancing the needs of both the marine and film industries.
Granat says they are a big industry and the question is whether they can they can fit in with New Zealand’s ambitions and goals.
“My long term aspiration is to build a meaningful, long term, studio space that we can bring many films down to,” says Granat.
Tim Coddington from Film Auckland says the company setting up in New Zealand would be one of the biggest opportunities the New Zealand film industry has seen.
“The types of people that are interested in filming here, like the people doing this, their infrastructure is pretty solid and their continuity of films is quite enormous,” he says.
So why should the next Narnia film be shot here?
Narnia has a New Zealand director and Peter Jackson’s Oscar winning Weta Digital provides all the special effects, plus the film qualifies for a 12.5% government rebate, making it an attractive option for Walden.
But in the end it’s a commercial decision and with Ireland touted as another option Disney must make the final call in the next few weeks.