International superstar Liam Neeson has hit the road in Victoria as production starts on The Mongoose, Neeson’s third film in the state in four years.
The action-thriller will shoot in Bacchus Marsh, Castlemaine and Bangholme as well as the Melbourne CBD, North Melbourne, Kensington and Moorabbin.
The Mongoose stars Neeson as Ryan “Fang” Flanagan, a war hero accused of a crime he didn’t commit and with nothing to lose, leads police on an epic televised cross-country car chase, helped by members of his former Special Forces Army battalion, as a fascinated public cheers him on.
Directed by veteran stunt professional Mark Vanselow, the film boasts a stellar international cast including Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei, Ving Rhames and Michael Chiklis.
They are supported by a terrific local cast including Ryan Morgan, Maurice Meredith, Toby Truslove, Aisha Aidara, Zac Taylor, Yesse Spence, Mario Sayana, Geoff Paine, Elias Anton, Brett Tucker, Hamish Michael, Geoff Morell and Louisa Mignone.
From its production base at the Melbourne Screen Hub in Footscray and across its on-location shoots, the production will also create more than 450 jobs for Victorian screen workers and engage 150 local businesses –including aerial cinematography by globally renowned Melbourne drone specialists XM2.
The production will inject more than $19 million into the Victorian economy, with an estimated $2 million being spent in regional Victorian communities. The project reunites Neeson with Code Entertainment, producers of both Ice Road and Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky and was written by Thompson Evans (Reckoning).
Code Entertainment’s Al Corley, Bart Rosenblatt, and Eugene Musso will produce. Jonathan Dana will executive produce with Code’s Rich Freeman along with Steven Shapiro and Liz and Ken Whitney of Jupiter Peak Productions. Lisa Wilson and Craig Chapman of The Solution Entertainment Group will also executive produce.
Liam Neeson’s previous Victorian-based productions Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky (2023) and Blacklight (2020) created more than 1,300 jobs and generated more than $55 million in economic value for the state.
The Mongoose was attracted to Victoria by the Victorian Government through VicScreen’s Victorian Screen Rebate. The film also received support from the Federal Government’s Location Offset.