New film production fills Albuquerque Studios

New film production fills Albuquerque Studios



New Mexico Business Weekly


August 30, 2007


by Megan Kamerick



Albuquerque Studios now has a full house with the announcement of yet another film production coming to the market.

"Game," a Lakeshore Entertainment Production, will star Gerard Butler, star of the film "300," and begins moving into the studios in September. Production will continue through early March, 2008, says Nick Smerigan, chief operating office for Albuquerque Studios. The production will use downtown Albuquerque for cityscapes, and it also might build location sets on the outdoor lots adjacent to the studios.

The production will hire about 182 New Mexico crew members, according to a news release from the New Mexico Film Office. The writer/director team is Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor. Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Richard Wright and Skip Williamson will produce it. Local New Mexican David Rubin will be the executive producer.

The film is an action thriller that takes place in a not-too-distant future. A top-rated television show pits prison convicts against each other in a militaristic game. Butler plays John Tillman, framed and imprisoned for life for a crime he didn't commit. He must participate in "The Game" to win release.

This production now creates a full house for Albuquerque Studios, Smerigan says.

"We are extremely happy with the caliber of television and film that are here and are contracting us for future bookings," he says. "We're excited that they share our opinion that we built a first-class facility."

The studio currently has six soundstages and construction on two more will start in the next 60 days, Smerigan says.

http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2007/08/27/daily26.html