Written by Tom Deehan on Nov 11, 2016. Posted in On Location / Production News

Production begins on Pacific Rim sequel in Australia

The sequel to 2013's Pacific Rim has entered into production in Sydney, Australia. Entitled Pacific Rim: Maelstrom, the sequel will pick up a number of years after the first film with Star Wars alum John Boyega set to star alongside Scott Eastwood (Suicide Squad) and Jing Tian (Kong: Skull Island).

News of the shoot came after Boyega took to Instagram with a post that also confirmed the project’s much debated title. After a short period of time in development hell, Guillermo Del Toro will be returning only as a Producer, with Steven S. DeKnight (Daredevil) stepping in to direct the film.

Early reports have it that once filming is complete in Australia, the production will then travel to China to shoot at Wanda Studios. Not only will Maelstrom be the first feature film to use Wanda Studios since its opening, but it will also be the first to access the studios' newly announced tax incentive.

Last month, Wanda Studios unveiled a 40% tax rebate programme that would be offered to any international co-productions that use its facilities. The rebate is the first of its kind in China, which until now has lacked any form of tax incentive for international Producers.

China has remained a popular filming destination in recent years despite its costly nature, due to the allure of its highly coveted box office sales. As an example, China was the second biggest international market outside of the US and Canada for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, raking in a total of USD124.5 million within two months of its release in the country.

Australia's popularity has also boomed as of late on the international locations market, after having already catered to two major tentpole films this year alone: Taiki Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok and Ridley Scott's Alien: Covenant.

International productions that incur a minimum spend of USD15 million in Australia can access a tax rebate of 16.5%, while local Producers are encouraged to create content with 40% and 20% rebates on feature films and television series respectively.

Wanda Studios will be exhibiting at FOCUS 2016 at the Business Design Centre in London, ready to provide detailed information regarding the rebate and their facilities to attendees.