While Patrick Dempsey may have come and gone from Baton Rouge after filming in the city this summer, the Red Stick won’t be short on star power or major film productions this fall.
 
“Battleship,” one of Hollywood’s most anticipated productions, will begin filming in October at the Celtic Media Centre in Baton Rouge. The film, which is based on the famous board game, will be directed by Peter Berg — director of “Friday Night Lights” and “Hancock” — and feature Rihanna, Alexander Skarsgard and Tom Arnold in starring roles.
 
Meanwhile, the two-part fourth installment of the “Twilight” series, “Breaking Dawn,” is still in the planning phase of pre-production. The exact time splits for filming between Baton Rouge and Vancouver has not yet been determined.
 
Baton Rouge continues to be an attractive location for many production companies thanks to the 30 percent tax credit — part of the Louisiana Motion Picture Tax Incentive Act of 2002 — given to any production company whose local expenditures total more than $300,000.
 
“[The tax credit] is an extremely aggressive incentive package, and it sets our market apart in landing the biggest productions,” said Amy Mitchell-Smith, executive director of the Baton Rouge Film Commission.
 
While New Orleans has traditionally been the Louisiana city of choice for filmmakers, the Raleigh Studios at the Celtic Centre, which is the largest purpose-built soundstage in the state, has allowed Baton Rouge to be more viable for studio shooting.
 
“The growth of [Celtic Media Centre], we’ve found, has directly correlated with our ability to land these massive studio-size productions like ‘Battleship,'” Mitchell-Smith said.
 
An increase in movies filming in the city has also meant a major boost for the local economy.
 
Production companies contributed a local direct spend of $72 million for 26 films and TV productions in 2009, according to the BRFC. The local direct spend reflects any expenditures on a local level.
“Those numbers indicate a major surge for a market of Baton Rouge’s size,” Mitchell-Smith said. “But we only expect those numbers to grow for this year, and the big fall productions are certainly a major part of those projections.”
“Battleship” and “Breaking Dawn” may be the two largest films coming to town, but they certainly aren’t the only ones.
“Transit,” an independent film starring Jim Caviezel — star of Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” — has been filming in Baton Rouge for the better part of August and even required the closure portions of River Road last week.
“The Courier,” which stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan of “Watchmen” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” began filming in New Orleans and Baton Rouge last week.
“The Big Valley,” a remake of the hit 1960s TV Western, has begun filming and will be shooting in town throughout the fall.
“It’s clear that this fall is going to be one of our busiest times yet for film production in the city,” Mitchell-Smith said. “The fact that two of the largest and most exciting current films are both going to be filming here is making waves around town and throughout the industry.”
 
 
 
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Contact Chris Abshire at [email protected]