Melbourne’s cutting-edge virtual screen technology is being used by one of the world’s biggest movie stars as Liam Neeson's latest film The Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky descends on Docklands Studios Melbourne.
The production will inject over $30 million into Victoria and employ nearly 600 screen workers and extras.
The movie, which follows Liam Neeson’s character Mike McCann on a dramatic adventure through Nepal’s perilous mountain tops, will shoot action scenes at Docklands Studio’s state-of-the-art virtual production stages. This follows shoots on location in Walhalla in Gippsland, which transformed the tiny town into a Nepalese village.
Headed by NantStudios, the two virtual production stages at Docklands Studios Melbourne house one of the largest LED volume screens in the world. The Victorian Government invested in the creation of the facility, putting Victoria in the driver’s seat to host blockbuster global productions alongside local projects.
Virtual production technology is transforming the screen industry, enabling productions to shoot against any backdrop, such as icy mountains, while keeping in a controlled environment.
The facility recently hosted Stan’s upcoming family feature The Windcatcher starring Jessica Mauboy, and the NETFLIX series adaptation of Jane Harper’s novel The Survivors will use the volume screens in coming weeks.
The Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky is being directed by writer and director Jonathan Hensleigh, who was behind blockbusters including Jumanji, Armageddon and Die Hard with a Vengeance, and produced by Al Corley and Bart Rosenblatt.
The film also stars Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, along with a stellar Australian cast including Bernard Curry (Wentworth, Savage River), Geoff Morell (Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power), Amelia Bishop (Dirty Little Secrets), Saksham Sharma (Knot) and Grace O'Sullivan (Erinsborough High).
It is among a strong line up of productions shooting across Victoria this year including the third season of AACTA award winning The Newsreader and NETFLIX drama Apple Cider Vinegar.
The Ice Road 2: Road to The Sky is a Code Entertainment/Shivhans/EMA production. The film was attracted to Victoria through the Federal Government’s Location Incentive and VicScreen’s Victorian Screen Incentive and Regional Location Assistance Fund.