Photo Credit: Daniel Mahon (Left to right: Grace O'Sullivan, Saksham Sharma, Bernard Curry, Liam Neeson, Caroline Pitcher, Al Corley, Fan Bingbing, Louisa Coppel and Bart Rosenblatt.)
Today, VicScreen CEO, Caroline Pitcher, welcomed Hollywood icon Liam Neeson, international superstar Fang Bingbing, and the blockbuster production of Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky, to Docklands Studios Melbourne.
Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky is an adrenaline-packed feature film, which follows Liam Neeson's character, Mike McCann, on a dramatic adventure through Nepal's perilous mountain tops.
The epic production is currently shooting action scenes at Melbourne's state-of-the-art virtual production stages headed by NantStudios. This technology is set to be a staple of the screen industry's future, with Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky filming scenes set in Nepal right here at Docklands Studios Melbourne.
Liam Neeson, Fan Bingbing and Australian cast members, Bernard Curry (Wentworth, Savage River), Amelia Bishop (The Orchard), Saksham Sharma (Knot) and Grace O'Sullivan (Erinsborough High, Neighbours), took time to show Caroline Pitcher and Docklands, Studios' Chair, Louisa Coppel, the set while producers Al Corley and Bart Rosenblatt, spoke to their brilliant experience so far, filming across regional Victoria.
Photo Credit: Daniel Mahon (left to right Amelia Bishop, Grace O'Sullivan, Saksham Sharma, Bernard Curry.)
Contributing to both Victoria's screen industry and the local economy, the production is injecting over $30 million into the state and creating nearly 600 employment opportunities, for screen practitioners and extras, with 15 locals taking on Head of Department roles.
Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky is being directed by award-winning writer and director Johnathon Henleigh, who is behind a slate of blockbusters including Jumanji, Armageddon and Die Hard with a Vengeance.
The Ice Road 2: Road to The Sky is a Code Entertainment/Shivhans/EMA production. The film was attracted to Victoria through the Federal Government's Location Incentive and VicScreen's Victorian Screen Incentive, Victorian Digital Screen Rebate and Regional Location Assistance Fund.
Victorian Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks, said "Whether it is a local production that is set to take on the world or an international blockbuster looking for a homebase, Victoria's cutting-edge screen infrastructure, skilled crews and stunning locations can't be beaten."
Producers Al Corley and Bart Rosenblatt, said "We've turned a regional Victorian town into a Nepalese village, and a couple of quarries into the infamous Road to the Sky - and now we're using these truly world class volume screens by NantStudios at Docklands Studio Melbourne - it's been such a great experience filming in Victoria."
