Back when Marvel Films established a studio in Manhattan Beach, it was believed that every feature produced by the studio would film at the Southern California facility. That didn’t last long. North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue announced today that Shane Black’s Iron Man 3 will film in North Carolina’s EUE/Screen Gems Studios, a 150,000-square-foot located in Wilmington.
"We aggressively pursued this piece of business,” said EUE/Screen Gems co-owner and COO Chris Cooney, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “This film is a game changer -- not only for our studios, but for the entire state of North Carolina. It feels great to bring this project to Wilmington, a place where we’ve invested emotionally and financially since 1996. Today, our vision becomes reality.”
It’s newsworthy because the first two Iron Man installments, directed by Jon Favreau, filmed in Manhattan Beach. But by moving to the Tar Heel state, Marvel’s taking advantage of North Carolina’s 25-percent film incentives. THR says Iron Man 3 will be the largest production ever filmed at EUE/Screen Gems, which previously played host to I Know What You Did Last Summer and 28 Days, as well as the beloved television show Dawson’s Creek.
But Iron Man isn’t the only major feature to be filmed in North Carolina as of late. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutchinson just wrapped months of production on Gary Ross’s The Hunger Games in Shelby and Charlotte. And films adapted from Nicholas Sparks novels regularly film in North Carolina, as the best-selling author is a native.
As for Iron Man 3, we know it stars Robert Downey Jr. as multi-billionaire Tony Stark, but we don’t know who he’s fighting against or with. We’re assuming the character will be in a unique spot after The Avengers, so we’ll continue to follow this project’s progress over the next few weeks and months.
Sean O’Connell is a journalist and CinemaBlend’s Managing Editor. He's frequently found on Twitter at @Sean_OConnell. ReelBlend cohost. A movie junkie who's Infatuated with comic-book films. Helped get the Snyder Cut released, then wrote a book about it.
