Peter Farrelly is back in Australia this month to shoot action comedy Balls Up with Mark Wahlberg and Paul Walter Hauser.
Eighteen months after directing Zac Efron and John Cena in Melbourne for Ricky Stanicky, the filmmaker will head to Queensland’s Village Roadshow Studios for the Amazon MGM Studios and Skydance film, secured through the state’s Production Attraction Strategy.
Balls Up stars Wahlberg, fresh from shooting Amazon crime series Play Dirty in Sydney earlier this year, and Hauser as American marketing executives who get fired for blowing a client sponsorship opportunity. They decide to use their free tickets to a major soccer match, with their drunken debauchery leading them to be hunted by every person across the country.
According to Deadline, the cast also includes Molly Shannon.
Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese wrote the script and also produce alongside Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger, and Andrew Muscato
Screen Queensland secured the production with the expectation it will generate an estimated $64.8 million for the Queensland economy and employ approximately 250 local cast and crew.
“The Sunshine State is an ideal place to make high-quality films and series and Screen Queensland is pleased to welcome Balls Up to both Brisbane and the Gold Coast,” CEO Jacqui Feeney said.
“Our industry continues to go from strength to strength, providing long-term career prospects for our local screen practitioners to showcase their skills and experience to global audiences.”
Skydance Physical Production EVP Brad Carlson said there were multiple motivators behind the decision to shoot in Queensland.
“With its wide variety of urban and rural locations coupled with a robust incentive program and talented crew base, Queensland was the perfect choice to base our production,” he said.
Other Screen Queensland-supported productions to be shot in the state this year include Ron Howard’s Eden, The Bluff, Good Cop/Bad Cop, Dangerous Animals, Black Snow, Rock Island Mysteries, and Gettin’ Square sequel, Spit.