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Derrick Borte and Russell Crowe bring ‘Bear Country’ to the Gold Coast

Russell Crowe in 'Land Of Bad'

The Gold Coast will double for Bear Country next month as filming begins on a new action thriller starring Russell Crowe.

Adapted from the Thomas Perry novel Strip, Bear Country stars Crowe as ageing but formidable LA club owner, Manco Kapak.

When Kapak is robbed by a masked gunman, his aspirations of selling his club and riding off into the sunset alongside his girlfriend appear more distant than ever.

The film reunites Crowe with Unhinged director Derrick Borte, who co-wrote the script with Daniel Forte.

Producing are Mark Fasano of Nickel City Pictures; Jeffrey Greenstein of A Higher Standard; Deborah Glover of G2 Dispatch; and Mark Bower and Bruno Mustic of Life & Soul Pictures.

The production is being supported by the City of Gold Coast and the Australian Government through the Location Offset with the expectation it will employ around 95 people while generating an estimated $11.9 million for the economy. 

Fasano, who produced 2022’s Queensland-shot Crowe-starrer Land of Bad, said the Gold Coast offered an “unbeatable combination of diverse locations, talented local crews, and fantastic creatives”.

“This, combined with the great support from Screen Queensland is why I’m excited to be back in Queensland to shoot Bear Country,” he said.

New Queensland Arts Minister John-Paul Langbroek expected the recent boost in productions on the Gold Coast, which includes Amazon MGM Studios’ Voltron feature, to open the door for Queenslanders wanting to build a career in the screen sector.

“Queensland’s international reputation as a production powerhouse continues to grow and our Production Attraction Strategy Incentive plays an important role in generating a steady pipeline of work for the state’s film industry,” he said.

“I’m confident the Gold Coast’s incredible natural environment will shine in Bear Country when it conveniently doubles as Los Angeles.”

Screen Queensland CEO Jacqui Feeney agreed, adding that Bear Country would benefit from the skill and expertise of local screen practitioners as well as helping grow the industry’s next generation.

“We hear time and time again from Australian and international producers that Queensland’s crew base is second to none,” she said.

“It’s fantastic that we can welcome back a global star like Russell Crowe to experience all our screen production sector can offer while enjoying the best of our Queensland lifestyle.

Bear Country will also provide crucial training opportunities for emerging crew through our Attachment Program which offers paid, on-set positions working under experienced industry veterans.”

Russell Crowe will host next week’s AACTA Awards on the Gold Coast.

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