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Australia still home to Terra Nova?

Update: Will Australia still serve as the location for Steven Spielberg's big-budget dino-drama? MEAA has objected to FOX's pay rates for actors.

This week it was reported in US media that Steven Spielberg’s prehistoric action drama Terra Nova has been pushed out to 2011.

The FOX pilot will be previewed in May, presumably after the American Idol finale, just as Glee was.

“There are two advantages,” Entertainment president Kevin Reilly revealed to reporters at the Television Critics Association.

“First, is to do pilot right, and on marketing side, recreate the same thing we did with Glee. Then we can give [the audience] materials over the summer. Secondly, this is a show that needs to be ahead in cycle. They can’t finish in one week and three weeks have a show on air”

What was particularly interesting was the comment by that the show was still hunting for a place to shoot, with Louisiana, Hawaii and Orlando among the considered locations.

“We’re trying to find a prehistoric world … we’ve seen a lot of design work,” Reilly said. “We needed the time. Hopefully it will do the same thing as Glee.”

That could raise questions about the series supposedly having an Australian shoot. Queensland was tipped to become the destination for the dino-drama, with a pricetag of $4m per episode.

The 13 part series about an ordinary family who are transported back to prehistoric Earth stars Jason O’Mara.

UPDATE: The MEAA has objected to a proposal by FOX that would effectively pay Australian actors significantly less than rates agreed to under the Offshore TV agreement. Instead of $809 per day, FOX wants Aussie actors paid the same rate as an Australian production, a minimum of $214 per day. Performers would also see no repeat or residual fees for the first 5 years.

FOX has now relented on these objections but negotiations are ongoing over Overtime, Night Loadings and Travel arrangements for actors.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

7 Responses

  1. lol@nick, how very thoughtful of you

    I thought it would be filmed in the outback, ie. central australia, But with a strong aussie dollar and $4m per episode……I can see why their considering other places

  2. “Queensland was tipped to become the destination”

    Cue Victorians…

    “Bring it to Melbourne, it should be in Melbourne, why isn’t it being shot in Melbourne? Did you know Melbourne will be Australia’s biggest city sometime in the next fifty years?”

  3. This show is going to be awesome, but September 2011 is too long well at least we can see the pilot in may. Hopefully it will be fastracked to what ever channel picks it up.

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