The producer of a major motion picture that was supposed to film in Whittier this spring said the movie project isn’t dead it’s just been postponed.
Scott Lumpkin is executive producer for the film “Hunter Killer,” a U.S.-Russian spy thriller featuring submarines. Lumpkin confirmed the movie will be shooting heavily outside the state, but he said Alaskan scenes will still be shot in Whittier starting in September. Late last year, producers had said the big-budget film would primarily be shot in the little Southcentral town.
Lumpkin said the change was made for several reasons. He said the script is being rewritten, which has pushed the timetable back by several weeks. That was an issue, he said, because the shooting schedule now runs into the summer tourism season. Cruise ships are scheduled to dock in Whittier May 1 and the production company had hoped to use the cruise ship terminal as their base camp.
When asked if the Alaska film tax credits played a part in the decision, Lumpkin said no. He said to his knowledge, the production was still in line to get tax credits, provided they made the necessary expenditures in Alaska.
When asked how big those expenditures might be, Lumpkin said he couldn’t say. He said the production has already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in the state and has had Alaskans on the payroll since mid-January. He added that people who came out for casting calls will still be needed in the fall. He said the latest information can be found on the SprocketHeads website.
Source: KTVA Alaska
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