Filming for Peter Jackson’s Dambusters will start within weeks, with a full-scale replica bomber, bouncing bomb and miniature dam already complete, the director has revealed.
Jackson is working on a remake of classic film The Dam Busters, based on one of World War II’s most daring feats, in which Royal Air Force bombers destroyed German dams using bouncing bombs.
Most of the $76 million film will be shot in Wellington and Jackson said that for the past few months workers at Weta Workshops in Miramar had been building a full-sized replica of a Lancaster bomber used in the raids.
“We’ve got the Lancaster made now, we’ve got a bomb made, we’ve got the first of the miniature dams made and we’re just working on the second dam,” he told website Ain’t It Cool News.
The plane would be used to make moulds to produce about 10 more Lancaster replicas for the film.
Weta staff had been working on the project for months, though Jackson secured the rights only a few weeks ago, because the workshops had to be ready to focus on Halo, a movie based on a popular sci-fi action video game, for which he will be the executive producer.
“It all worked out well and we’re probably going to actually start shooting some of the miniatures for Dambusters in the next few weeks.”
This meant that some shooting of scenes would start even though there was still no script or cast.
“It’s an interesting way of making a film.”
The latest computer-generated imagery would also be put to use, to give audiences a full-blooded view of the mission, in which the bombers skimmed above treetops to stay below German radar before striking the dams.
“We have not really seen a World War II low-level bombing attack that has been done with all the power of (computer graphics) that really make you feel like you’re really participating in that raid.”
The film was unlikely to feature a host of big-name actors because several of the key pilots were only 20 years old when they led the attacks, Jackson said.
“There are not many stars who are 20 years old. They just don’t really exist, so I would imagine we’ll be looking for unknown young actors.”
Jackson also said he had read reports that Hollywood studio MGM wanted him to make a film of The Hobbit – but said he had not been contacted.
“I’m up for it, but somebody should phone me because I’m getting a bit booked out at the moment.”
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