Kockroach has now begun filming in New South Wales. Described as a genre-bending crime drama, the new film stars Chris Hemsworth, Taron Egerton and Zazie Beetz.
It’s directed by Matt Ross (Captain Fantastic) and adapts a book by William Lashner about a mysterious stranger who takes on the underworld’s criminal elite, transforming himself into a larger-than-life crime boss.
Kockroach kicks off – quick links
What to know about Kockroach
The script has been written by Jonathan Ames (Bored to Death), with Andrew Lazar (American Sniper), Christina Weiss Lurie (Persuasion), John Friedberg and Vanessa Humphrey on production duty. The companies Mad Chance, Fourth & Twenty Eighth Films and Black Bear are overseeing.
Kockroach is being shot in NSW with the support of Screen NSW’s Made in NSW Fund and the Australian Government’s Location Offset. Per Screen NSW, the production is expected to create 600 new jobs within the NSW film industry, and contribute ‘an estimated $37 million in expenditure to the state’s economy’.
A spokesperson for Screen NSW said the production will be a significant feature for NSW, with its talented cast and crew contributing to ‘the advancement of NSW as a destination for international and local feature films and major television drama programs’.
Kockroach joins other high-profile projects supported by the Made in NSW Fund, including The Big Fix, starring Riz Ahmed and Mark Wahlberg, Greyhound 2, starring Tom Hanks and Stephen Graham, The Artful Dodger and the video game adaptation Street Fighter.
Netflix’s upcoming thriller Apex was also made possible through the fund, which also stars Taron Egerton, appearing alongside Charlize Theron. It appears Egerton is becoming a fixture of the local filming scene, bringing his name and talents to our shores.
Building up the NSW screen industry
Screen NSW Executive Director Kylie Munnich said: ‘I’m thrilled that the team behind Kockroach are bringing this highly anticipated movie to our state.
‘We are committed to ensuring NSW has a strong pipeline of local and inbound projects in the state, with the economic benefits of our screen projects felt across multiple industries including hospitality, transport and tourism.
‘With our globally recognised cast, filmmakers and crews, breathtaking locations and world-class studio facilities, we are continuing to see an exciting mix of projects choose to make our state their number one choice for filming in Australia.’
For Kockroach’s producer Andrew Lazar, the opportunity to shoot Kockroach in NSW was unmissable. ‘We could not be more excited to be shooting Kockroach in Sydney,’ he said.
‘It’s truly a world-class, film-friendly city in every respect: the film crews are incredible, locations vast and diverse and our cast is looking forward to enjoying everything Sydney had to offer, including the excellent accommodation and food.’
Also on ScreenHub: Apex review: a deadly game of hide-and-seek in the bush
It’s a bit of a cliché to say that the big attraction when it comes to Australian films is Australia itself. That said, Australia – specifically the Blue Mountains, where much of this was filmed – definitely puts its best foot forward in Apex. Icelandic director Baltasar Kormakur (Beast, 2 Guns) delivers shot after shot of gorgeous scenery and striking locations. It’s all so stunning to look at it’s tempting to book in a visit… if not for all the brutal murders, of course.
Sasha (Charlize Theron) and her partner Tommy (Eric Bana) are starting to wonder if they should put a life of extreme climbing behind them. The fact that they’re having this discussion on a tent attached to the side of a cliff in the frozen wastes of Norway suggests that the correct answer is ‘hell yes’.
Read more …
