Fed: Melbourne secures Spielberg/Hanks mini series

AAP General News (Australia)
04-26-2007
Fed: Melbourne secures Spielberg/Hanks mini series

By Shelley Markham

MELBOURNE, April 26 AAP - Melbourne has beaten international competition to be the
primary location for filming of a new World War II-era TV mini-series produced by Hollywood
heavyweights Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.

Victoria's Innovation Minister John Brumby, who made the announcement today in the
historic war cabinet room at the Victoria Barracks in Melbourne, said The Pacific would
be the biggest TV mini-series ever filmed in Australia.

"This is a huge project, the biggest TV mini-series ever made in Australia, and it
will bring substantial benefits to the screen industry in Victoria, and to the Victorian
economy as a whole," he said.

Mr Brumby would not disclose details of the financial incentives to lure the production
companies to Victoria.

"We provide modest incentives really to make sure we're in the game with other locations
against the world," Mr Brumby said.

"In relation to this (The Pacific) obviously we were competing with places such as
Hawaii, competing with Queensland and a number of locations internationally."

He said the production was expected to inject $180 million into the Victorian economy
and to create up to 4,000 full-time and part-time jobs.

Made by some of the same team that produced the blockbuster 2001 mini-series Band of
Brothers, the new, 10-part series will tell the story of three US Marines - Robert Leckie,
John Basilone and Eugene Sledge - during World War II.

Most of the filming will take place around Melbourne and in regional Victoria, with
Melbourne Central City Studios the main production site.

Pre-production will start immediately, with filming due to begin in August.

Mr Brumby said Melbourne played an important role in the Australian and United States
defence against the Japanese in the Pacific in World War II.

"It was 65 years ago that Victoria Barracks was announced as the general headquarters
for the allied forces fight for the South Pacific area against the Japanese," Mr Brumby
said.

The declaration of war with Japan was signed by the then prime minister John Curtin
in the war cabinet room on December 8, 1941.

All major decisions regarding Australia's wartime operations between 1939 and 1945
were also made in that room.

Film Victoria CEO Sandra Sdraulig (Sdraulig) said she hoped The Pacific would lead
to more overseas interest to film in Melbourne.

"Melbourne is being discovered and Ghost Rider was a wonderful foray into that, as
was Charlotte's Web, also shot here," Ms Sdraulig said.

"There's constant interest (from overseas) in whether the location can match the creative
needs of the project that is involved."

AAP sam/gfr/it/sp

KEYWORD: PACIFIC NIGHTLEAD (PIX AVAILABLE)

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