Will Smith slipped through Sydney Airport arrivals almost unnoticed this morning, but the Hollywood star’s time under the radar may be short-lived.
His arrival all but confirms the Oscar winner is here to get to work on Supermax, the action thriller set to begin filming locally this month.
Supermax will star Smith alongside US star AnnaSophia Robb and centres on two FBI agents investigating a murder inside the world’s most secure prison.
Directed by David Gordon Green from a script by David Weil and David J. Rosen, the project was picked up by Amazon MGM Studios in a deal reportedly worth about $US70 million, with the film set for release on Prime Video.
Robb is said to play Smith’s FBI partner, joining him on the dangerous mission inside the prison.
If Smith is here for Supermax, it would make the film the latest in a string of high-profile productions shooting in NSW this year, alongside The Big Fix, Greyhound 2 and Kockroach.
Netflix blockbuster Extraction 3 is also now underway in the state, with Chris Hemsworth, Idris Elba and Golshifteh Farahani officially confirmed so far.
Oscar winner Brendan Fraser and Emmy winner Jeff Daniels have also been quietly filming sci-fi thriller Starman in western Sydney, adding to the sense Sydney is looking more and more like Hollywood by the day.
According to Screen NSW the industry now pumps more than $1 billion into the NSW economy each year, with the benefits flowing well beyond film and television into tourism, hospitality, transport, security and regional communities.
Ausfilm chief executive Kate Marks has told The Daily Telegraph the Harbourside city’s appeal is no accident.
“We are seeing on screen, particularly in Sydney, a mix of Sydney for Sydney, but a mix of also Sydney to act out other parts of the world,” she said.
“We also have world-class infrastructure and facilities, with some of the best post-production and visual effects and animation houses as well.”