Though various outlets (including us) have been reporting that Iron Man 3 will be filmed in Wilmington, NC for some time, the city and Screen Gems Studio made it official today.
At a news conference held this afternoon, North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue officially announced the latest installment in Iron Man franchise will shoot in Wilmington.
Check out the full press release below:
WILMINGTON, NC (NEWS RELEASE) — Today, EUE/Screen Gems Co-owner and COO Chris Cooney confirmed that the Marvel Studios production of “Iron Man 3” will shoot at EUE/Screen Gems in Wilmington, NC for the majority of the production. North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue joined Cooney at a press conference at the studios this afternoon. The major motion picture is scheduled for release in 2013. Marvel executives considered locations in Los Angeles, Michigan and New Mexico before deciding the right mix of space, talent, and incentive were available in the North Carolina coastal city.
“We aggressively pursued this piece of business,” says Cooney. “We negotiated hard, and it paid off. In 2009, we built Stage 10, one of the largest sound stages in the world with a special effects water tank, in Wilmington. Some people thought we were crazy to take such a risk in a down economy. We constructed that space envisioning a motion picture of the caliber and size of this one. This film is a game changer—not only for our studios, but for the entire state of North Carolina. It feels great to bring this project to Wilmington, a place where we’ve invested emotionally and financially since 1996. Today, our vision becomes reality.”
EUE Screen Gems Executive Vice President Bill Vassar says the Marvel executives were enticed to Wilmington by the 25 percent North Carolina Film Incentive https://www.ncfilm.com/new-25-tax-credit.html; the size, scope and capabilities of the Wilmington studio lot; and the seasoned local crew base.
In addition to 150,000 sq ft of column-free space, EUE/Screen Gems also offers production offices with modern communications, construction shops, wardrobe facilities, prop and set decoration warehouses. Film-related tenants on the lot include a law firm specializing in entertainment law, a film bonding company, editors, a sound recording studio and a casting company. EUE/Screen Gems is also one of the largest suppliers of lighting, electric and grip rentals in the Southeast with locations onsite in Wilmington, NC as well as in Atlanta and Charleston, SC.
“We are as close to a Los Angeles studio as you can get without being in California. We offer Marvel what they need, and they were amazed to find it in North Carolina,” Vassar says.
Another reason Marvel choose Wilmington to produce “Iron Man 3” is the large local crew with experience handling five simultaneous productions. “When Marvel visited, they pointed out the number of second generation crew people on the lot,” Vassar says. “This is a special group of people who learned their craft at the knee of their fathers and mothers. You don’t see this outside of Los Angeles or New York City. “
While “Iron Man 3” is the largest production to come to Wilmington, the project will not preclude the booking of other simultaneous projects. “We will still have stages, offices and production support available to host pilots, series and other films right now,” Vassar says.
EUE/Screen Gems worked with the North Carolina Film Office and Governor Beverly Perdue to attract the production to North Carolina. The motion picture will take offices in Wilmington, NC in early 2012.
ABOUT EUE/SCREEN GEMS
EUE/Screen Gems supplies production space, studios, technological infrastructure and support for movie, film and commercial producers. They also produce original content and offer digital content and production services. They own production studios in New York City, Wilmington, N.C. and Atlanta as well as a lighting and grip company in Charleston, SC.
For more information, visit www.euescreengems.com and www.screengemsstudios.com or our press site at https://news.euescreengems.com.
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For more information and images of the EUE/Screen Gems campus in Wilmington and other locations, contact:
Susan Dosier
susan@dkcommunicationsgroup.com
704.993.7871 mobile
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