Victoria's screen industry economy and local jobs are set for a big boost, with Hollywood star Liam Neeson returning to the state for his latest project, Ice Road 2:Road to the Sky which starts filming in the state this month, backed by the Allan Labor Government.
Acting Minister for Creative Industries Natalie Hutchins announced the Gippsland town of Walhalla is set to be the backdrop for some of the movie's epic action scenes. The production will also shoot across Melbourne and use the state-of-the art volume screens and technology at NantStudios @ Docklands Studios Melbourne.
Ice Road 2:Road to the Sky is the action-packed sequel to the 2021 movie The Ice Road, which follows Liam Neeson's character Mike McCann on a high-octane adventure through Nepal's treacherous mountainscape.
Almost 600 local jobs will be created through the production for screen industry workers and extra, with the production set to inject more than $30 million into the state economy - boosting jobs, the economy and attracting visitors from across the globe to Melbourne.
More than 700 jobs were created when Liam Neeson filmed the conspiracy thriller Blacklight in Victoria in 2020 and generated more than $23 million in economic value for the state.
Joining Liam in the cast for this latest production are Australians Bernard Curry (Wentworth, Savage River), Geoff Morrell (Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Harrow) and Grace O'Sullivan (Erinsborough High,Neighbours).
Original Ice Road writer and director Jonathan Hensleigh, writer of Die Hard with a Vengeance,Armageddon and Jumanji, is back on board for the sequel.Ice Road 2: Road To The Sky is a Code Entertainment/Shivhans/EMA production.
Producers are Code's Al Corley, Bart Rosenblatt and Eugene Musso, along with Shivani Rawat of ShivHans and Jonathan Hensleigh, as well as Lee Nelson and David Tish of Envision Media Arts (EMA).
Executive producers are Jonathan Dana, along with Julie Goldstein and Connor Flanagan of ShivHans, and Lisa Wilson and Myles Nestel of The Solution Entertainment Group, and David Buelow of EMA.
The production joins a slate of major projects filming in the state, with the Netflix series Apple Cider Vinegar and The Survivors in production, as well as Werner Film Production's The Newsreader returning for a third season.
Ice Road 2:Road to the Sky was attracted to Victoria through the Federal Government's Location Incentive and the Government's Victorian Screen Incentive and Regional Location Assistance Fund.
As stated by Acting Minister for Creative Industries Natalie Hutchins
"Victoria is a sought-after destination for international productions because of our phenomenal locations, state-of-the-art screen infrastructure and renowned local talent and crew."
"Ice Road 2 is part of a strong pipeline of local and international productions that will power our screen industry this year, creating jobs, boosting local businesses and showcasing Victoria to the world."
