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The Gold Coast is front and centre as both location and setting for Justin Chadwick’s spy thriller The Mark, production of which is currently under way on the glitter strip.
The feature film, starring Jessica Alba and Tom Hopper, is expected to inject $11.7 million into the local economy and support around 140 jobs for cast and crew.
But while The Mark is the latest high-profile feature brought to Queensland through the state’s the Production Attraction Strategy, Minister for the Arts John-Paul Langbroek says it will also be putting the Gold Coast - a perennial backdrop for many major films - firmly in the limelight on a world stage.
“It’s fantastic that The Mark will not just be filmed on the Gold Coast, but set here, putting the sunshine state on the map for a global audience,” says Langbroek.
“The Crisafulli Government is proud to back our state’s screen industry through Screen Queensland, to ensure our local cast, crews and creatives can build enduring careers right here in Queensland.”
The Mark follows Eden (Jessica Alba), an enigmatic spy on a covert and dangerous mission. When she pulls single father Ben Dawson (Tom Hopper) into her world of high-stakes espionage, his life is turned upside down.
Mistaken for the world’s deadliest assassin, Dawson becomes the perfect decoy for Eden who uses the mix-up to expose a powerful network of corrupt politicians, placing Dawson in the crosshairs of the CIA, Interpol and ruthless crime syndicates.
With enemies closing in from all sides, Eden must keep Dawson alive long enough to complete her mission – while Dawson must summon his inner action hero to stay alive and return to the person who matters most: his daughter.
Screen Queensland CEO Jacqui Feeney says the agency is pleased to welcome Highland Film Group back to the Gold Coast with its latest production.
“Brisbane’s Hoodlum has partnered again with Highland Film Group, and now with K.Jam Media and Westbrook Studios, to produce The Mark, leveraging the sophisticated screen ecosystem that South-East Queensland offers,” says Feeney.
“Productions like this also provide vital training opportunities for our emerging screen practitioners through Screen Queensland’s Attachment program, offering paid placements under the mentorship of Queensland’s renowned crew base.”
The Mark joins a slate of Queensland-made titles including Subversion, Voltron, The Bluff and Balls Up (Amazon MGM Studios); Eden and Thirteen Lives (Imagine Entertainment); Legendary Pictures’ fourth Monsterverse feature, Godzilla x Kong: Supernova; and The Mosquito Bowl and Allen for Netflix.
Written by Ronnie Christensen (Passengers, Incarnate), The Mark is directed by Justin Chadwick (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, The Other Boleyn Girl) and stars Jessica Alba (Trigger Warning) and Tom Hopper (The Terminal List: Dark Wolf, The Umbrella Academy, Game of Thrones).
"I’ve been so impressed by the skill and passion everyone has brought to the project,” says Kia Jam, producer and CEO of K.Jam Media.
“We’re excited to kick off production with world-class local talent, both in front of and behind the camera, on a story set against the stunning backdrop of Queensland’s Gold Coast."
The Mark is produced by Jessica Alba under her Lady Metalmark Entertainment umbrella, Arianne Fraser (Land of Bad), Delphine Perrier (Arcadian) and Henry Winterstern (of the Underworld franchise) for Highland Film Group, Kia Jam (The Misfits, Lucky Number Slevin) for K.Jam Media, alongside Kosaku Yada for Westbrook Studios (Bad Boys: Ride or Die, King Richard), Tracey Vieira (Land of Bad) for Hoodlum and Peter Jákl (Locked).
Will Smith and Miguel Melendez executive produce on behalf of Westbrook Studios, alongside Tracey Nyberg for Lady Metalmark Entertainment, Justin Chadwick, Ceasar Richbow, Latavius Powell, Jason Hope, Tracey Robertson and Nathan Mayfield for Hoodlum, and Jeff Kranzdorf, Gevork Semeriyan and Abraham Kesablyan for Falcon Films.
Highland Film Group is handling international rights and co-financing the project alongside Aperture Media Partners.
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