By SHOOT Staff

Army of the Dead Shoots In NJ
Atlantic City plays a starring role in Zack Snyder’s zombie thriller Army of the Dead. The movie follows a group of mercenaries who plan a heist at a Las Vegas casino during a zombie outbreak. Army of the Dead opened in select theaters nationwide last month just a week ahead of its release on Netflix.

Snyder made his feature film directorial debut in 2004 with a remake of the 1978 horror film Dawn of the Dead. He is perhaps best known for a number of comic book and superhero films he produced and directed for the DC Extended Universe. He directed and co-wrote Army of the Dead, featuring a cast that includes Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera, Theo Rossi, Matthias Schweighöfer, Nora Arnezeder, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tig Notaro, Raúl Castillo, Huma Qureshi and Garret Dillahunt. 

“Our incentive program for filmmakers continues to attract a wide variety of projects to New Jersey, including blockbuster movies such as Army of the Dead,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “The state’s film and television industry has fully weathered the challenges of the pandemic and continues its remarkable growth.”

Most of the filming took place at the Showboat Hotel and the former Atlantic Club Casino Hotel in Atlantic City. The casinos, which shut down in 2014, were redesigned to double as Las Vegas gambling establishments.

“This is one of many major productions filmed in New Jersey since the Garden State Film and Digital Media Tax Credit Program took effect in 2018,” according to Secretary of State Tahesha Way. “In 2019 alone, film and media projects generated more than $415 million for the state’s economy and created thousands of jobs.” The Stone Quarry, producer of Army of the Dead, hired well over 200 cast and crew members and spent over $25 million in the Atlantic City area for labor, goods and services.

David Oyelowo Goes Rogue In Oregon
Actor David Oyelowo received the Rogue Award at the Ashland Independent Film Festival in Ashland, Ore. The honor is bestowed annually upon an accomplished mid-career artist.  Oyelowo presented his directorial debut, The Water Man, a mystical adventure filmed around Portland, Oregon, on the festival’s opening day. The story is set against the backdrop of Oregon wildfires, which connected the film to the festival’s central theme this year of “Rising From the Ashes.” Oyelowo also starred in the film and served as its EP.

“Helping David Oyelowo, Harpo Films and ShivHans Pictures bring their beautiful film, The Water Man, to life with our state’s crews and locations has meant a great deal to us and to the entire film community in this state,” commented Tim Williams, director of Oregon Film, the governor’s film office.

Dig Lensing Rooted In New Mexico
Dig, a feature film directed by K. Asher Levin and produced by Daniel Cummings and Robert Dean, has begun production in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

“The New Mexico Film Office continues to market every corner of New Mexico to productions. Las Cruces has a lot to offer productions, including beautiful and diverse landscapes and locations, production support, hotels, restaurants, and other amenities,” said Amber Dodson, who serves as director of the New Mexico Film Office.

The production will employ some 27 New Mexico crew members and five New Mexico principal talent. Dig stars Thomas Jane and Emile Hirsch is the story of a widower’s strained relationship with his deaf teenage daughter, which is tested when they are held hostage by two intruders and are forced to dig under a vacant house, revealing a dark secret from the past.

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