DURBAN’s film scene got off to a buzzing start this year. Besides an array of local projects that are on the go, the international TV series Strike Back 2 has been shooting in town over the past few days.
And if what its crew members have to say is anything to go by, it seems our visitors are so impressed with Durban that more projects are likely to come to town in the future.
Strike Back 2’s production team has selected Durban and Cape Town as its location sites.
Producer Trevor Hopkins said they would be “cheating” scenes in Durban for New Delhi, Kuala Lumpur and Pakistan and in Cape Town they would “cheat” the UK as well as New Delhi.
“This is a second series, the first only made it in the UK. This will be a new and expanded series for HBO in the US and Sky in the UK,” he explained.
The TV series features an organisation called Section 20, which has a unit of highly skilled operatives who hunt deadly terrorists and defuse a plot that could lead to war.
Since last weekend, Strike Back 2’s production team has been shooting in and around Durban. Dr Goonam Street was closed and converted into a New Delhi street.
But the highlight came later, with the crew shooting at City Hall. In the series, the old girl plays an upmarket hotel.
“The story is located in New Delhi. We did look at some of the five-star hotels in the city, but they didn’t work.
“At City Hall the architecture of the building and its surrounds gives the impression we were looking for.
“The hotel scenes will be shot outside in Durban, but when it comes to the inside of the hotel, we will create this on a built-up set in Cape Town because it involves a lot of damage that will be done in the hotel and we destroy your beautiful City Hall,” joked Hopkins
Strike Back 2 has employed at least 1 000 locals as part of the cast and crew.
This, paired with the cost of the crew’s accommodation and local spend, translates into big spin-offs for the local economy.
Hopkins said their Durban experience had been a good one, so much so that he is keen to think about bringing another project here later in the year.
“I have another project coming up in the autumn and with our experience now and how wonderful the Durban Film Office has been, I will consider coming back here.
“We just want to thank Durban for making this so blissful,” he said.