Coen Brothers’ “True Grit” remake at center of Oklahoma film incentives debate
The Coen brothers hold the three Oscars they won for their 2007 film “No Country for Old Men.” (Associated Press photo)
Oscar-winning filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen are considering Oklahoma as a possible site for their remake of the 1969 Western “True Grit,” Jill Simpson, director of the Oklahoma Film and Music Office, told a state House committee Tuesday.
The Oklahoman’s State Capitol Reporter Michael McNutt reports that Simpson told the committee that shooting on the film is expected to start in March.
The state film incentive program is capped at $5 million a year. Simpson asked the House Economic Development and Financial Services Committee to remove the current $5 million annual cap, Michael reports.
Ten films that are shooting in Oklahoma are vowed to get about $5.5 million in rebates this fiscal year, she said.
Two movies already are committed to get rebates in fiscal year 2011, which starts July 1, she said. Those two commitments, plus a carryover of about $557,000 from this fiscal year, leaves only $1.2 million in rebates available next year for the high-profile Coen brothers’ project.
A state law that took effect July 1 boosted the program from a rebate of up to 15 percent on production expenditures in Oklahoma to 35 percent.
Simpson said that it is estimated “True Grit,” a film projected to cost about $35 million, would spend about $13 million in production costs in Oklahoma. That would make the filmmakers eligible for a rebate of $4.6 million from the state.
She told lawmakers that films shot in Oklahoma provide positive publicity, create jobs and help the economy.
“They come in because of the incentives and then they fall in love with the locations,” Simpson said, citing the filmmakers of “The Killer Inside Me,” which shot in several Oklahoma cities earlier this year and want to make thee more films in the state.
To read the rest of Michael’s interesting story, click here.
The Coen brothers have tapped stars Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin and Matt Damon to join their “True Grit” cast. The Coens have said they plan to make their version more faithful to Charles Portis’ novel than the 1969 film that won John Wayne his best actor Oscar.
-BAM
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
[...] To read more, click HERE [...]