The thriller Unlocked starts shooting on November 3, and for the following seven weeks the Czech Republic will host its cast of top Hollywood stars – including two-time Oscar winner Michael Douglas, celebrated for his portrayal of Gordon Gekko in Wall Street, and heartthrob Orlando Bloom, known for blockbusterslike Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Unlocked is the story of a CIA agent, played by Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, racing to thwart a planned terrorist attack on London. At the helm is the director of the Bond flick The World is Not Enough, Michael Apted, who is backed by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, the producer of Transformers: Age of Extinction – one of this year’s biggest box office smashes.
Michael Douglas is not the only Academy Award-winner filming in the Czech Republic these days. Since September, the historical epic Emperor starring Adrien Brody as Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor who banned the reformist church of Martin Luther, has been shooting at locations in Český Krumlov, Telč and Jindřichův Hradec, as well as at Barrandov Studio. The upcoming thriller Child 44, produced by the legendary Ridley Scott, was shot in north Moravia and Prague last year.
The Czech Republic has been squarely back on the map of international film producer for several years’ thanks to the introduction in 2010 of incentives which apply to films shot here, whether domestic or foreign productions. The incentives consist of a rebate on up to 20% of eligible costs for audio-visual production. Last year 800 million Czech crowns were set aside for the incentive, with the same amount earmarked for 2015.