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The saga surrounding the filming of Dora the Explorer on the Gold Coast has been resolved with Screen Queensland and the Queensland Government securing the production despite having their calls for a federal government tax offset increase rejected by the Treasurer.
On Friday, Screen Queensland said they were close to a deal with Paramount Pictures which would secure the Dora film, and potentially a thousand jobs, but the production company was baulking at signing on the dotted line because the tax offset wasn't enough to convince them to go ahead.
Screen Queensland CEO Tracey Vieira called on the Federal government to increase the tax offset from 16.5 per cent to 30 per cent.
Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison sent a letter to the Queensland Government saying he had rejected the request.
"I note that last year (the Queensland Government) committed to provide $20 million to attract more blockbuster films to Queensland," Morrison wrote.
"Your government is well placed to provide the necessary top-up grant from this funding to secure this investment in Queensland, without the need to call on the Commonwealth."
Despite that blunt rejection, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced on Monday the deal had been secured.
"This isn't only for our film industry workers it's for all the other businesses we know benefit from big productions in Queensland," she says.
The Dora film will be a live action update of the Nikelodeon animated series, in which Dora is now a teenager navigating the world with her cousin Diego.
"We could not be more thrilled to be bringing Dora to Queensland and to be able to deliver Queensland for our film," says Lee Rosenthal, President of Physical Production for Paramount Pictures.
"In Queensland, we are able to get outstanding crew, stages and a variety of jungle topography and city backdrops in essentially one place."
Dora will be filmed on the Gold Coast's $15.5 million Sound Stage 9 at Village Roadshow Studios and will be directed by James Bobin whose films include The Muppets (2011), Muppets Most Wanted (2014) and Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016).
It's due for release in August 2019.
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Business News Australia
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