Louisiana Film Production Update 4.13.09

Most of the info comes from Solomon Street Films and the Louisiana Film Website. Some info comes from Production Weekly. And some is just from general reading and gossip.

New Orleans

"The Gatekeeper"
Horror/Comedy Feature
Hindsight Pictures
John Francis Daley, Matt O'Leary, Ron Perlman
Office opens in mid-may
Line Producer: Oak Porcelli
Shoots July 6th for 6 weeks
send resumes to gatekeepermovie@yahoo.com


"Leonie"
Period Feature
4001 Division Street
Metairie, LA 70002
OFFICE - 504-324-1755
Rankin Hickman-Prod Supervisor
Yari Schutzer-UPM


“The Expendables”
Action Feature
Directed by Sylvestor Stallone w/Jet Li, Mickey Rourke!!!
Nu Image/Millennium
600 Edwards Ave
Harahan, LA 70123
Josh Throne, UPM
Shoots April 13
504.267.9000 - ph
504.267.9001 - fax
Shoots April 20th - June 15th
Resumes: theexpendablesmovie@gmail.com

“Dead of Night”
Horror Feature
Hyde Park Entertainment
600 Edwards Ave
Harahan, LA 70123
504.267.9050 - ph
504.267.9051 - f
UPM: changed again! ???
POC: Kathy Chambliss
Shoots April 2 - May 28th
Resumes: deadofnightcrewresumes@gmail.com

"Jonah Hex"
Action Feature
Warner Bros.
Josh Brolin as the Comic Book Hero. BIG project.
Riverboat Productions
1231 Prytania St. , 4th Fl
NOLA 70130
504-552-4414 o
504-680-2820 f
Producer: Richard Middleton
POC: Tony Rossi
Shoots April 13th - June 17th
Resumes: jonahhexnola@gmail.com

“Imagination Movers”
Kids TV Series
Back for Season 2
800 Distributors Row
Harahan, LA 70123
Kati Johnston, UPM
POC - Justin Groetsch
Resumes/Inquiries: imnola504@gmail.com
Shoots Mar 30th - Sept 17th

Hammond

Punishment
"The Midgard Entertainment and Red Pictures feature film Punishment is in pre-production in Hammond with shooting scheduled from June 1 through July 1. Resumes are being accepted by e-mail at punishment@rocketmail.com."

Louisiana Rumours/Upcoming films

No word yet on when or where on these projects; but they have at least had something published about them.

Cotton
"The producers of Slither, Dawn of the Dead, and Hostel are coming to Louisiana to make their next film." Production Weekly simply had it listed for Louisiana, so who knows where it is going.

I Walked With a Zombie
Production Weekly had it listed for Late Spring in New Orleans. My best guess is maybe early summer. Remake of an old RKO Val Lewton film.

Satchmo Projects
Forrest Whitaker was talking about directing a Satchmo biopic film this Summer in New Orleans last Fall/Winter. There was also talk of Roc Dutton doing an Armstrong bio project for HBO around the same time last year.

Treme
Hopefully we will know more by the end of the summer or early fall whether the series gets picked up.

Late Summer/Fall?

Talk of two studio flicks coming either late Summer or Fall. One supposedly with a huge budget. But have seen nothing confirmed on either project yet. But keep you ears open and let James Roque at Solomon Street Films know if you have any info on upcoming projects.

* * *

Things are slow all over right now. So it is important for you to contact your state representative and senator and let them know how the tax credits need to be left at at least 30%. We are losing projects to Georgia and elsewhere. So get friends and family involved as well.

Here is a sample letter Kristin Lekki put together (with some changes from me):

Jane Doe
123 Something St.
New Orleans, La. 70123
555.555.5555
jdoe@geemail.com





Dear Rep. John Doe,


I am writing to you personally in hopes that you will support the extension of our state’s tax credits to the film and television industry. I have been working on movies and television shows for over five years, and have witnessed the massive increase in jobs available since the Motion Picture Tax Incentive Act was passed. Other states like New Mexico and Michigan have passed similar measures, so reducing our inducements to the industry could be catastrophic to the local workforce.
The jobs created in this industry are high paying with health and pension benefits-very hard to come by in this state even prior to the current economic slowdown. How many other industries can say their entry level, lowest paying position pays $125 a day?
After Katrina, the film industry took me all over the country: D.C., Connecticut, California but the Tax Incentive Act made it worth while for me to move back to the city and state that I love.
Please support the extension of the Motion Picture Tax Incentive Act.

Best Regards,


Jane Doe