Brie Larson’s latest feature film has wrapped production in Victoria, bringing a major Hollywood cast and crew to locations across the state—and leaving behind hundreds of local jobs in the process.
The psychological thriller, Skeletons, stars the Academy Award-winning actor and marks the first production to shoot at The Studio Forest Hill in Nunawading, the recently reactivated facility best known as the former home of Neighbours.
Directed by Strange Darling filmmaker JT Mollner and produced by J.J. Abrams, the film was secured through VicScreen’s Victorian Screen Incentive, with the production also accessing the Australian Government’s Location Offset.
From Nunawading to the Yarra Valley
While The Studio Forest Hill provided the production’s base, Skeletons ventured well beyond Melbourne’s studio lots. Filming took place across the Yarra Valley, Dandenong Ranges, Mornington Peninsula and Werribee, giving the production a distinctly Victorian backdrop.
Larson leads an international cast that also includes Kyle Gallner, Daithí Ó hAragáin, John Goodman, Keith Carradine, Ione Skye and Willa Fitzgerald.
The story follows a young boy who begins to suspect his parents are concealing a disturbing secret about his mother’s true nature. The screenplay was written by Brian Duffield, with revisions from Mollner, and is based on Philip Fracassi’s short story ‘Fail-Safe’.
More than 600 Victorian jobs
Behind the Hollywood names, the production has delivered a substantial boost to Victoria’s screen workforce. The production created an estimated 635 jobs for Victorian cast and crew, including 14 heads of department and around 50 roles in post-production and visual effects.
The film also injected an estimated $21.5 million into the Victorian economy and supported around 300 local businesses. That included accommodation providers, caterers, transport operators, medical facilities and specialist screen businesses.
Post-production and visual effects work will remain in Victoria, with the production also helping establish Chroma Film Lab, a new film development laboratory in Brunswick East.
Mollner said the Victorian crew had played a huge role in getting the ambitious production over the line, particularly while filming on 35mm and working through the challenges of a Victorian winter. “The local crew in Victoria has exceeded every expectation,” Mollner said.
He also praised the local production partners for their dedication to the project, saying they had helped turn the difficulties of the schedule and weather into an advantage.
Victoria’s Hollywood pitch
Victorian producer Mario Biancacci, whose credits include Ricky Stanicky, Better Man and I Play Rocky, said the team was excited to return to Melbourne for the production. “We love filming in Melbourne, so we’re thrilled to bring this major production to Victoria,” Biancacci said.
The Victorian Government is placing Skeletons as another example of the state’s ability to attract international productions while keeping work in the local screen industry.
Creative Industries Minister Vicki Ward said the film demonstrated what Victoria could offer major productions. “Skeletons is proof that when Hollywood comes knocking, Victoria delivers world-class crews, stunning locations and studios ready for the world’s biggest stories,” Ward said.
VicScreen CEO Caroline Pitcher similarly pointed to the combination of local expertise, facilities and locations. “Victoria is a global screen powerhouse, known for its highly skilled crews, diverse locations, world-class facilities, and exceptional creative talent,” Pitcher said.
Skeletons arrives amid a busy period for Victoria’s screen industry, following a run of productions including Wentworth: Halfway Home, Crime Casters, Fog City, Written in the Stars and Hotel Hotel Hotel Hotel.
For Melbourne in particular, the return of production to the former Neighbours studio adds another page to the city’s long relationship with screen production.
