Leigh Whannell in 'Saw'.
The co-creator of the Saw and Insidious franchises, Leigh Whannell, is set to shoot sci-fi thriller Stem in his hometown of Melbourne.
The Victorian government secured the Goalpost Pictures and Blumhouse Productions film through Film Victoria’s attractive production incentive fund. The film is predicted to create more than 200 jobs for the state, according to a statement from Film Vic.
Set in a near-future world where technology controls everything, Stem follows a technophobe who avenges his wife’s murder and his own paralysing injury with the help of an experimental computer chip implant. This is Whannell's second film as a director after Insidious: Chapter 3, and he also wrote the script.
Starring Logan Marshall-Green (Prometheus, Spider-Man: Homecoming), Stem will be shot at Docklands and on location. Producers are Jason Blum, Kylie du Fresne and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones.
"It is not only hugely exciting for me to be making Stem but to be doing it in Australia makes it extra special, utilising the incredibly talented artists we have here to realise the film with me," said Whannell. "And to be shooting this science fiction film on the streets of my beloved hometown of Melbourne is a dream come true for me."
Film Victoria CEO Jenni Tosi said she was delighted Whannell was bringing Stem to Melbourne.
“It demonstrates the confidence Goalpost Pictures and Blumhouse Productions have in Victoria's creative talent, crews, world class studios and great locations. They are set for a great experience and we wish them every success.”
James Wan, who created the Saw and Insidious franchises with Whannell, will also return home to Australia next year to shoot Aquaman in Queensland.
Stem will be distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment.