The move, reports Variety, highlights the intense competition for so-called runaway productions, and the efforts being made to further increase Australia’s financial incentives for film production.
The decision was announced on Sunday, March 18 by the Premier of Queensland, Annastacia Palaszczuk. “Yes, we did it. Dora comes to Queensland,” Palaszczuk said. That is a reference to how each episode of Nickelodeon's beloved animated preschool series ends with the song “We Did It.” The new film sees Dora as a teenager navigating the world with her cousin Diego.
Dora The Explorer will be filmed on the Gold Coast’s Sound Stage 9 at Village Roadshow Studios. It is to be produced through the Paramount Players division of Paramount Pictures and will be directed by James Bobin (The Muppets, Alice Through the Looking Glass), with a script from Storks and Neighbors director Nick Stoller. Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes label and his partners Andrew Form and Brad Fuller are producing the flick. The film's cast has not been set. Production on the movie is scheduled to commence after the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games in April, reports the Gold Coast Bulletin.
Dora the Explorer will receive a wide release in North America on Friday, August 2, 2019.
But it was nearly another story. On Friday, March 16, Australia’s federal government refused to give the film an additional tax break, beyond the country’s 16.5% production offset scheme. That appeared to mean that the film would not be shot in Australia. Palaszczuk accused federal treasurer Scott Morrison of bias towards other states and of costing jobs in her state.
Instead, after asking Paramount for a further 48 hours to negotiate, Queensland agreed to increase the incentive it will pay to the production. Palaszczuk declined to detail the amount, though local media sources have put the figure at over $6.17 million (A$8 million).
Australia has several features that attract footloose or runaway productions, including well-developed infrastructure, English-language crews and varied locations. But, even after the weakening of the Australian dollar at the end of the commodities boom, it also has high costs.
In recent weeks there have been cries of alarm that the flow of incoming movie shoots had all but dried up. And both Screen Queensland and Ausfilm have lobbied government to raise the incentive for all major films from 16.5% to 30%.
So far, the federal funding has been on a case-by-case basis. Recent Hollywood pictures that have been granted additional, discretionary funding from the federal government, and which then shot in Australia, include Thor: Ragnarok and Aquaman.
“The decision to provide competitive incentives to lure the production came down to a single criteria: creating jobs,” said Palaszczuk. “Over the past three years my government has committed $23.1 million (A$30 million) attracting movie makers to Queensland through our Production Attraction Fund, gaining more than $270 million (A$350 million) of direct expenditure in our state.”
Below is Screen Queensland's official press release announcing the news, via createsend.com:
> Sunday 18 March 2018
Screen Queensland is thrilled to share today's announcement from the Queensland Premier and Minister for Trade, The Honourable Annastacia Palaszczuk.
MEDIA RELEASE
Premier and Minister for Trade
The Honourable Annastacia Palaszczuk
YES! WE DID IT: DORA COMES TO QUEENSLAND!
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced Queensland’s next big blockbuster will be the live-action version of Dora The Explorer from Paramount Pictures.
The Premier said the decision to provide competitive incentives to lure the production came down to a single criteria: creating jobs.
“This isn’t only for our film industry workers it’s for all the other businesses we know benefit from big productions in Queensland,” the Premier said.
“Over the past three years my government has committed $30 million attracting movie makers to Queensland through our Production Attraction Fund, gaining more than $350 million of direct expenditure in our State.
“We will keep on pushing for screen jobs for our local crews and creatives and for productions that inject hundreds of millions of dollars into our economy and take our creative talent and our stunning Queensland locations, to screens around the world.”
Recent productions include:
- Aquaman, filmed in 2017, estimated to have spent more than $100M in Queensland creating 2100 jobs.
- Thor: Ragnarok, released in October 2017, employed more than 1000 Queensland cast and crew, and injected $145.2 million into the Queensland economy
- The Chinese production At Last showcased a range of Queensland locations, and provided approximately 200 jobs and injected $10.8M into the local economy. It follows the success of previous Queensland Chinese co-productions Guardians of the Tomb (previously known as The Nest 3D) and Bait 3D.
- This Dora will be a live action update of the much-loved Nikelodeon animated series, in which Dora is now a teenager navigating the world with her cousin Diego.
Each episode of the animated series ended with the song ‘We Did It’.
After the deal was secured late yesterday the Premier felt like singing ‘We Did It’ herself.
“We could not be more thrilled to be bringing Dora to Queensland and to be able to deliver Queensland for our film,” said Lee Rosenthal, President of Physical Production for Paramount Pictures.
“In Queensland, we are able to get outstanding crew, stages and a variety of jungle topography and city backdrops in essentially one place.”
Dora will be filmed on the Gold Coast’s $15.5 million Sound Stage 9 at Village Roadshow Studios and came after the Premier’s US trade mission in February.
The film comes from the Paramount Players division of Paramount Pictures and will be directed by James Bobin whose films include The Muppets (2011), Muppets Most Wanted (2014) and Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016).
It’s due for release in August 2019.
> About Screen Queensland:
Screen Queensland is a government-owned company that invests in people and projects to grow a creative, innovative and successful screen industry with a focus on stories and global audiences, secures production to Queensland, and delivers an active screen culture across the state.
Go to screenqld.com.au to view all our programs and initiatives.
Also, from Deadline:
Paramount’s ‘Dora The Explorer’ Movie Set For Australia Shoot After Tax Break Concession
Paramount’s live-action Dora The Explorer movie will shoot in Australia after a last-minute tax break concession from local authorities.
The movie’s presence in Australia was cast in doubt on Friday when Australian Treasurer Scott Morrison rejected Paramount’s request for a one-off increase from the standard 16.5 percent tax break to 30 percent. However, Australia’s second largest state Queensland agreed this morning to top up the the Australian government’s tax break for the film. One local media report pegs the revised deal to lure Dora to Queensland at around $8m.
The James Bobin (Alice Through The Looking Glass)-directed live-action feature is an update of the hit Nickelodeon cartoon and is due to follow a teenage Dora as she navigates the world with her cousin Diego. Storks director Nick Stoller is writing the script, and Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes label and his partners Andrew Form and Brad Fuller are producing. Cast has not been set. The movie is slated for an August 2019 release.
“We could not be more thrilled to be bringing Dora to Queensland and to be able to deliver Queensland for our film,” said Lee Rosenthal, President of Physical Production for Paramount Pictures. “In Queensland, we are able to get outstanding crew, stages and a variety of jungle topography and city backdrops in essentially one place.” The film will shoot on the Gold Coast’s $15.5 million Sound Stage 9 at Village Roadshow Studios with production expected to begin late spring/early summer.
“Over the past three years my government has committed $30 million attracting movie makers to Queensland through our Production Attraction Fund, gaining more than $350 million of direct expenditure in our State,” said Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. “We will keep on pushing for screen jobs for our local crews and creatives and for productions that inject hundreds of millions of dollars into our economy and take our creative talent and our stunning Queensland locations, to screens around the world.”
Sizeable recent productions to shoot in Queensland include DC’s Aquaman, which is estimated to have spent more than $100m in Queensland creating more than 2000 jobs, Thor: Ragnarok and Chinese production At Last, which followed other Australian-Chinese productions such Guardians Of The Tomb (previously known as The Nest 3D) and Bait 3D.
More Nick: First Look At Nickelodeon's Upcoming 'Amusement Park' Theatrical Movie!
H/T: ComicBook.
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