Written by on Feb 24, 2014. Posted in On Location

Historical epic Gods of Egypt to film on location in Sydney

Historical epic Gods of Egypt will film on location at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney. The movie is being directed by Australian filmmaker Alex Proyas and will follow battling gods in ancient Egypt, with action star Gerard Butler and Game of Thrones’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau heading the cast.

“Securing the production of Gods of Egypt for New South Wales (NSW) will create an estimated 400 jobs in the local film industry and contribute around AUD75 million in direct production expenditure to the NSW economy,” commented NSW Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner.

“The NSW Government has worked hard to put the state on the international film production map over the past three years," Stoner added.

“The decision by the producers of Gods of Egypt to base themselves in Sydney confirms that NSW offers exceptionally experienced cast and crew, cutting edge facilities, and value for money.”

Gods of Egypt is the latest big-budget international production secured for Australia in recent months. Angelina Jolie has been filming in Queensland and New South Wales for her true-life World War II biopic Unbroken, while US action star Dwayne Johnson will be filming earthquake drama San Andreas in Queensland in the coming months.

The decision by the producers of Gods of Egypt to base themselves in Sydney confirms that NSW offers exceptionally experienced cast and crew, cutting edge facilities, and value for money.

Andrew Stoner, New South Wales Deputy Premier

The preferences of director Alex Proyas are likely to have been a major factor in the selection of Sydney as a filming location. The filmmaker was also planning to shoot a visual-effects-heavy version of Paradise Lost in Sydney in 2012, but an inflated budget led to the production’s 11th-hour cancellation.

Gods of Egypt is one of a series of high-profile productions underway that are set in the ancient world, but in each case the choice of filming locations varies wildly. Ridley Scott’s biblical epic Exodus is doubling Spain’s Almeria Desert for ancient Egypt, while new Fox TV series Hieroglyph is recreating the same setting on location in New Mexico.

(Photo: Vince Valitutti/Paramount Pictures)