The Malta Independent
by Francesca VellaArticle published on 10 April 2012
Captain Phillips, a Sony Pictures Entertainment production starring Tom Hanks that is currently being shot in Malta, is one of the first big movies whose filming will mainly take place out at sea, this newspaper has learnt.Film commissioner Peter Busuttil said local ports will be used for certain scenes, but a lot of the filming will take place out at sea on a tanker. The water tanks at the Mediterranean Film Studios will also be used. The cast will be in Malta until the end of May, and is then expected to head to Morocco to shoot the beach scenes.
Captain Phillips is a hostage thriller based on the real-life drama of the Maersk Alabama, a cointainer ship that was taken over by Somali pirates in 2009.
According to Empire magazine: “The movie stars Tom Hanks as the ship’s American skipper, Capt. Richard Phillips, and revolves around his, and his crew’s terrifying encounter with a bunch of gun-toting Somali pirates. Not even the yo-ho-ho’ing kind of pirates. The nasty ones.”
Mr Busuttil said two other productions with significant budgets have started being shot in Malta – the Italian television series Come un Delfino, starring Raoul Bova, and the Russian production Fort Ross, while the filming of a number of documentaries is ongoing. Filming on a children’s movie is also expected to start towards the end of this month.
“We have also received queries about the possibility of a reality show related to weddings being shot in Malta, as well as a series about Maltese food by an Australian television company featuring Shane Delia, a chef of Maltese origin.”
Two other productions with significant budgets have started being shot in Malta – the Italian television series Come un Delfino, starring Raoul Bova, and the Russian production Fort Ross, while the filming of a number of documentaries is ongoing
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