The Amazon MGM Studios project will boast the likes of Jason Momoa (pictured in January 2024), Dave Bautista and Temuera Morrison. Photo / Amy Sussman / Getty Images
The Amazon MGM Studios project will boast the likes of Jason Momoa (pictured in January 2024), Dave Bautista and Temuera Morrison. Photo / Amy Sussman / Getty Images
An Amazon MGM Studios production is coming to Aotearoa, with Auckland announced as the primary shooting location for the star-studded project.
The production will carry a significant economic impact, says Tātaki Auckland Unlimited chief executive Nick Hill, with more than 1400 local cast, crew and extras expected to be employed. As well as contributing to Auckland’s $1.7 billion screen sector, the project will inject a healthy boost into local businesses, including in sectors such as accommodation, hospitality, construction and transportation.
The action-comedy will see Momoa and Bautista star as two half-brothers - one a loose-cannon cop (Momoa) and the other a disciplined Navy Seal (Bautista). After 20-odd years of bad blood, they must work together to unravel the conspiracy behind their father’s murder in Hawaii.
Speaking to the Herald, Hill says he believes the production will be the largest to come to Aotearoa’s shores since Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
“I’m thrilled. It’s setting an extremely strong pipeline for international film productions here in New Zealand,” he says. “Post-Covid and its impacts on tourism, hospitality, the film industry and local business, these opportunities and investment are a real shot in the arm.”
Filming is expected to begin around the Auckland region from October and will take at least a “couple of months”, say Hill.
It’s currently uncertain whether filming will take place in other regions across Aotearoa, with Hill stressing the project will primarily be based in Auckland’s CBD and locations outside of the city.
“The Wrecking Crew will be filmed in iconic locations around the region, transforming public spaces, roads and tunnels into cinematic backdrops,” says Hill.
“Auckland has become an A-grade destination for film-making and this project will highlight its iconic places - people want to go to the locations they see in movies, making this really valuable for Auckland tourism. It really drives the profile of the city.”
The impact of the project on local economy will be “meaningful”, Hill adds, injecting a significant boost not only into the region’s growing screen sector, but local accommodation; an industry that has struggled due to the seasonal drop in tourists. Location costs and services will also benefit local businesses such as hospitality venues, transportation providers, and construction.
“It’s really meaningful,” he says. “Auckland’s film industry is growing - it’s now valued at $1.7b and employs around 8400 people. It’s injecting money into the region, employing people, and is really valuable for the city’s profile.”
Screen Auckland, the region’s film office and a division of Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, says it will provide support throughout filming by facilitating film permits and ensuring smooth operations for the production, local businesses and community organisations.
As the project will not be filmed in-studio, there may be some disruption to the public; however, Hill stresses a number of measures will be taken to minimise any disturbances, including communication with potentially affected businesses.
“We look forward to welcoming Amazon MGM Studios and the entire production to Tāmaki Makaurau, and to ensuring they have a special and memorable experience in our vibrant and thriving region.”
The imminent arrival of the project comes three years after Amazon decided to move production of future seasons of The Lord of the Rings to the United Kingdom, cutting thousands of jobs and raising concerns about the impacts on local economy and tourism. An earlier document released under the Official Information Act had warned the franchise would potentially leave New Zealand “should another destination ‘closer to home’ (for example the UK) deliver the same value proposition”, despite Aotearoa’s long-standing reputation as the “home of Middle-earth”.
The news was seen as a nightmare scenario for Aotearoa’s tourism industry, with officials at the time warning the decades of investment funnelled into TheLord of the Rings could evaporate if another country became associated with the franchise.
Jason Momoa will be back in New Zealand after shooting Chief of War in 2023 and A Minecraft Movie earlier this year. Photo / Jun Sato / WireImage
Meanwhile, Momoa has become something of an “ambassador” for Aotearoa, Hill says, with the action hero often speaking of his love for the country. In April, the Aquaman star shared a heartwarming tribute to New Zealand after filming wrapped for the upcoming Minecraft movie, writing on Instagram: “I love this country. Aotearoa New Zealand, you are magical. Mahalo for letting me film here.”
Momoa had been spotted at various spots across the country earlier this year, popping into Rotorua’s Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa in March and taking co-star Jack Black for dinner at Tanuki’s Cave in Auckland.
Last month, Momoa had a successful gig at Auckland venue the Tuning Fork with his band Oof Tatata, comprising Momoa himself and long-time friends Mike Hayes and Kenny Dale. The band’s merch was stocked at Ponsonby Rd vintage outlet Search and Destroy, a store Momoa called his “favourite place in Aotearoa” on Instagram.
Momoa later announced on the platform that Oof Tatata will be back to play at least nine shows throughout New Zealand later this year, with the gigs slated for weekends off from filming The Wrecking Crew.
Frankie Adams, who has been filming the live-action version of the Disney movie Moana in Atlanta alongside fellow Kiwis Rena Owen and John Tui, told her Instagram followers she was grateful to be joining the project, while Once Were Warriors star Temuera Morrison has recently wrapped filming the swashbuckler action drama The Bluff with Priyanka Chopra and Karl Urban on the Gold Coast.
Ángel Manuel Soto, a Puerto Rican filmmaker, is best known for directing the 2023 American superhero flick Blue Beetle, the 14th film in the DC extended universe.
Earlier this year, Wednesday actress Jenna Ortega and a cast of extras were spotted being directed by New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi for the upcoming science-fiction film, Klara and the Sun, on High St in Auckland’s CBD. Filming had initially taken place in the Queenstown area, according to reports, while several local businesses told the Herald the filming process was smooth and disruption was minimal.
