JUDGE DREDD

Cape Town film studios secures major multi-million dollar international film.

Nico Dekker, CEO of Cape Town Film Studios, South Africa’s largest and newest film studio has secured the first major 3D action film to be made in Africa, Judge Dredd. This popular comic book figure, initially brought to life on the big screen by Sylvester Stallone, will once again grace the big screen.

Dekker says it is a major breakthrough for the studio and South Africa to have secured a production of this calibre before the official construction phase of Cape Town Film Studios has been finished. Cape Town Film Studios, which will officially only open its doors in October, is the first custom-built Hollywood-style film studio complex of its kind in Africa.

Dekker said that the production will spend over US$20 million in South Africa and normally for every rand spent on production; an economic impact factor of 2.5 is accrued. This means that the production will have an economic impact factor on Cape Town and South Africa of US$50 million.

DNA Films, the makers of Trainspotting, The Beach and The Last King of Scotland; chose Cape Town Film Studios for the production of the Judge Dredd action film. DNA producer, Andrew McDonald says “The film is not location specific and could have been made in any country in the world. The affordability of South Africa as a film destination and the new high tech Cape Town Film Studios provided us with the ideal combination”, says McDonald. The director of Judge Dredd is Pete Travis who recently directed End Game and is known for his direction of Vantage Point.

Michael Murphey, who was co-responsible for the production of the blockbuster film District 9, will act as co-producer. Murphey says that “Cape Town Film Studios provides the ideal location for the making of this exciting new DNA project”. An American film-maker who worked for Miramax and major Hollywood-based production companies, Michael was based in Los Angeles for most of his life. He rates Cape Town Film Studios amongst “The best film studio complexes of its kind in the world”.

McDonald and his core film team recently visited Cape Town Film Studios to prepare for their up and coming production. His team included Mark Digby (set designer of Slumdog Millionaire), the Oscar-winning cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, Alex Garland (writer of The Beach), and Lee Grumett (Assistant Director of Sherlock Holmes).

The pre-production for Judge Dredd officially started in August at Cape Town Film Studios and the physical production will conclude in March 2011. “Judge Dredd will use most of the available 17,000 square meters (200,000 square feet) of production facilities and will be based at Cape Town Film Studios for the duration of the production”, says Dekker.

Anant Singh, Chairman of Cape Town Film Studios says: “Securing Judge Dredd as the first production at Cape Town Film Studios is a major breakthrough for the Studios and sets the tone for the future. Our vision to create an exceptional world class facility for South African and international films is now an exciting reality”. Singh predicts that the studio will help to herald a new phase of filmmaking in South Africa by attracting productions that would usually not consider coming to the country.

Four major sound stages, multipurpose workshops, art departments, make-up rooms, wardrobe rooms, star rooms, production offices, green rooms and storage spaces form part of the first phase of the studio. Cape Town Film Studios is owned and financed by Anant Singh’s Videovision Entertainment and Marcel Golding’s Sabido Investments (the owners of e.tv and e.sat)