“Balls Up,” an action comedy film from “Green Book” director Peter Farrelly and starring Mark Wahlberg, will shoot this month in Queensland, Australia. The picture is backed by Amazon MGM Studios and Skydance.
The film follows two American marketing executives who are fired for blowing a client sponsorship opportunity and decide to use their free tickets to a major soccer match. Their drunken debauchery leads them to be hunted by every person across the country. The cast is headed by Wahlberg(“The Family Plan”)and Paul Walter Hauser (“The Instigators”).
The film’s writers are Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese(“Deadpool & Wolverine”). Producers include Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger, as well as Andrew Muscato, Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese.
What Neon’s ‘Longlegs,’ A24’s ‘Civil War’ Demonstrate about Indie Distribution Power
Method Man Describes Rare Wu-Tang Clan Album as a 'Circus Spectacle,' Says It's an 'Uncomfortable Subject' for Group to Discuss
The production is calculated to generate an estimated A$64.8 million ($43 million) for the Queensland economy, employing approximately 250 local cast and crew, as well as utilizing small businesses.The film will be based out of Village Roadshow Studios in Gold Coast.
Location attraction agency, Screen Queensland said that it had secured the film through its Production Attraction Strategy. Australia also has a generous federal program of rebates for production, post-production and special effects that the film could tap into.
“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,” said Brad Carlson, EVP of physical production at Skydance.
Amazon and Skydance were backers of Farrelly’s previous, Australia-set “Ricky Stanicky.” Skydance was also a backer of “The Greatest Beer Run Ever,” Farrelly’s first feature completed after 2018’s hit “Green Book.”
Other international films and series made in Queensland this year include Ron Howard’s“Eden,” “The Bluff” and “Good Cop/Bad Cop.” Recent Australian productionsinclude “Dangerous Animals,” “Black Snow,” “Rock Island Mysteries”and“Gettin’ Square”sequel,“Spit.”
