This section is dedicated to recording significant pieces of local news concerning the film.
Keep an eye on my News Updates and Movie Info pages for further details...
Entries are recorded from top (most recent) to bottom (least recent).

Last updated - 7. October, 2000

While I am an Australian, I do not live in Melbourne, so I rely heavily on site visitors for local news!
If you have any Melbourne news not featured here, please feel free to:

E-MAIL ME!

CLAUDIA BLACK - THE NEW PANDORA!

***Congratulations to Claudia Black - the first Australian to win a major role in the film!***

Claudia is a talented Australian actress who most recently starred in the Aussie-made action-thriller 'Pitch Black'. She is also a regular on the Aussie TV series, 'Farscape'. Personally, I think she looks the part and will do very well in the role. Best of luck to her! :)

Claudia made her casting announcement over at the scifi.com messageboards. A transcript can be found here. Her complete message was as follows:

TV : On Air Colony : Farscape : CLAUDIA BLACK SAYS HEY

Date: 10/3/2000
From: chickwithgun

Hello there beautiful people!
We are all suffering from post Olympic syndrome after a surprisingly exciting fortnight of sport and entertainment.I am officially very proud to be an aussie (aussie aussie, oi,oi,oi!!!)
My reason for posting today is to let you know that I have been cast to play Vampire Pandora in the sequel to Interview
With a Vampire.
For those of you who have read Anne Rice's books,be prepared for some filmic licence and adaptation, if you know what I mean.While being losely called the sequel,The Queen of the Damned is not the book which directly follows interview and will not star Tom Cruise nor Brad Pitt.
I do not post this bit of news to boast, rather to recognize the enormous support I have received from you all on the BB and thank you for it as I feel You have instilled me with a confidence which has pushed me forward.
For those of you who out of loyalty went to support Pitch Black I can at least promise this time that although Pandora is a small support role, she will not be knocked off early!

Love and light to you all and thanks again for your continued support not only of Farscape but also of all the people who are bringing it to you.

Your chick with gun,
Claudia

ANOTHER LOCAL NEWSPAPER ARTICLE...

State taking a starring role

The Age
By LAWRIE ZION
24. September 2000

While cinema audiences have dipped during the Olympics, Victoria's film and television production industry is enjoying a significant upturn.

Leading the charge is the big-budget Warner/Roadshow feature Queen of the Damned, which begins its 11-week shoot in Melbourne tomorrow week. Billed as the largest production ever mounted in the state, Queen of the Damned is based on Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles and will star Stuart Townsend in the role of Lestat - the same character played by Tom Cruise in Interview With the Vampire.

Also signed on are singer Aaliyah, Lena Olin and Marguerite Moreau. Melbourne-born director Michael Rymer, whose credits include Angel Baby, will direct.

EXCLUSIVE LOCATION PHOTOS!

Very special thanks go to Ritz for sending me these great photos of the old Nestle warehouse in St Albans! The warehouse has been transformed into a major filming studio for the movie, and these pics give us a much better idea of what it all looks like (from the outside, anyways!):

Click for larger images and descriptions!

MORE NEWSPAPER ARTICLES

Newspapers have started to report more details concerning the film. The major Melbournian publication, 'The Age', has been quiet lately, and has not reported any articles since April (see below) However, local suburban newspaper, 'The Advocate', has reported studio details, and the 'Sydney Morning Herald' reported the news of the two newest cast member, Lena Olin and Marguerite Moreau.

Damned Good Idea

The Advocate
29. August, 2000

The former Nestle factory in St.Albans will be converted into a temporary studio to film an American screenplay. DQ Productions Pty Ltd will use the Regan st site during production of the Warner Brothers film, Queen of the Damned, a sequel to U.S box office hit Interview with the vampire. Filming will take place for 16 days over six months, starting on September 25, directed by Australian Michael Rymer who also directed Angel Baby. During a meeting last week, the council endorsed the company's plan to use the vacant factory site to film, construct sets and store trucks, equipment and goods.

A council officers' report described the temporary use of the site as "innovative" and Councillor Andrea Puig suggested that the use of the site had the potential to attract investors to the area. The former industrial site is about to be rezoned in the fifth and final stage of the Brimbank Heights Estate residential development.

[Special thanks go to Gabrielle de Lioncourt for e-mailing me this article.]

Vampires go Victorian

'Film' by Peter Cochrane
29. August, 2000

'Unbearable Lightness of Being' star Lena Olin and newcomer Marguerite Moreau are negotiating to join the cast of the third instalment of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, to be shot in Melbourne.

Irish actor Stuart Townsend (Wonderland) and actress-singer Aaliyah are confirmed for Queen of the Damned, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Warner Bros/Village Roadshow co-production is to be directed by Michael Rymer, the director of the AFI award-winning film Angel Baby.

It will include scenes of a rock concert that will involve about 10,000 extras.

The project follows vampire Lestat (Townsend) as he becomes a rock star whose music wakes up Akasha, the queen of all vampires (Aaliyah). In the process, a young woman who works as a vampire hunter (Moreau) falls in love with Lestat.

Olin would play the role of Moreau's vixen aunt who tries to stop her niece from seeing Lestat's rock shows.

Rice's first book in the series, Interview with the Vampire, was adapted in 1994, with Tom Cruise starring as Lestat.

[Special thanks go to Roland Flood for sending me the corresponding link:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/0008/29/features/features14.html]

MELBOURNE LOCATION NAMED!

In the 1. August edition of the 'Filmnet Daily Newsletter', the following location details were announced:

CHOCOLATE QUEENS
The Queen Of the Damned shoot planned for September by Village/ Warner
bros will use a former nestle bulk warehouse in Regan st St Albans,
Melbourne as a studio and production office. The warehouse spans 12 000
sqm (Fox studios 6 studios only cover 10287 sqm!) with a 20 metre height
clearance and has an additional 6000 sqm of office space. Will the huge
rock scene now be shot indoors at the studio? Will this studio end up
being a permanent part of Australia’s film industry? – hopefully!

Anyone living in Melbourne, and especially in St Albans, should definitely keep an eye on this location! If anyone has sees or hears anything further about this warehouse, please e-mail me!

AUSTRALIAN CASTING COMPANY REVEALED

The Australian casting company involved with this film is called Prototype Casting. They have locations in Sydney, Queensland and Melbourne. The Melbourne location address is:
117 Rouse Street
Port Melbourne
Victoria   3207

Prototype has recently been involved with the casting of films such as 'Mission: Impossible 2' and 'The Thin Red Line.' Find out more about them at their website: http://www.prototypecasting.com.au

   MELBOURNE'S TRIPLE M RADIO STATION  

UPDATE:
**thanks to Traci Stubbs!**

It has been discovered that Melbourne's Triple M radio station definitely will hold a competition to determine who will play the 12,000 extras reportedly needed for Lestat's rock concert scenes during AUGUST! The competition will be held through their website at http://www.triplem.com.au. There is no further information available yet, but keep a look out at this site for more details in the very near future!

And Melbournians, keep listening to Triple M for the all important announcement!  J

LOCAL ACTRESS NAMED!

On 1. May, 2000, I discovered that mmm_god has done some more research and found further news about the mysterious actress who was mentioned by a casting agent on Triple M radio last week. Turns out her name is Janelle Mclean, and her latest movie is an independent Australian film called 'Losing Heart'.

The following was found in 'Australian Acting Insider' - "a BRILLIANT industry mag with absolutely positively EVERY piece of info anyone can want on things being produced in Australia."
On page eight of the latest issue, an article was found concerning 'Star Wars: Episode 2' where names were being thrown around about casting:

"Melbourne based actress Janelle Mclean currently promoting the independent feature Losing Heart, is rumoured to be on top of the Episode 2 call list after meeting with George Lucas for the third time this month. A call to Mclean's LA based agent confirmed that she is currently considering options for films including Star Wars Episode 2 and the much awaited Interview With a Vampire sequel, Queen of The Damned being filmed in Melbourne later in the year."

Mmm_god thinks he might have seen Janelle in 'Neighbours' (an ongoing Aussie soap opera) many years ago. However, neither of us know anything else about her. I am now in the process of conducting an extensive search! So far, the only site of any interest may be the Losing Heart Official Website. The layout is strange to navigate and I'm pretty sure there isn't a photo or biography of Janelle featured anywhere. Perhaps more info will be added soon?

UPDATE:

It has since been discovered that the 'Losing Heart' film mentioned here is not the *same* movie in which Janelle supposedly stars! Confused? So am I! She is not in the cast list, so this must not be the right film.
Despite my extensive searching, I have found no information about her involvement in a film called 'Losing Heart'. Furthermore, I can find no record of her ever having appeared in the TV series, 'Neighbours'! I am *still* awaiting some kind of casting update that will clarify the puzzling situation...

LOCAL ACTRESS TO JOIN CAST?

  On 26. April, 2000, major news was reported to me by mmm_god from Melbourne! He wrote:

"MMM, the radio station in Melbourne running the competition for extra casting just had a fantastic interview with some woman (sorry didn't catch her name) who is working with casting on the film. Anyways, she said there is an Australian actress under consideration at the moment for a lead role. She wouldn't say who it was or what role but said she is a "unknown local actor" who blew them away in her auditions and is currently in discussions with Michael Rymer.

Also MMM said there will be a higher number of extras required than originally thought, perhaps 12,000. This is so cool for the Australian Industry. Lets hope it all comes together successfully. That's all I have to say, thought I'd share what I just heard (like 15 minutes ago on the radio, so it's recent)."

An unknown Australian actress is under consideration for a lead role? Well, as far as I know, there are only two lead female roles, and one of them has already been filled...This means that the studio is apparently looking locally for the character of Jesse! But what about those rumours of Mena Suvari? We'll just have to wait and see!

  FANTASTIC PLOT SYNOPSIS! 
*special thanks go to Lily for sending me this news*

The following was found on 21. April, 2000 in an issue of the fabulous Australian and New Zealand industry newsletter, Filmnet Daily. All issues are posted online at: http://www.filmnet.org.au/
This is definitely a site to watch - this synopsis is the most informative so far!

Filmnet Daily, Issue 3.071, Tuesday April 18, 2000. (Added to this website on 21. April, 2000)
The Free Online Weekdaily Australian and NZ Film Industry Newsletter

QUEEN OF THE DAMNED SYNOPSIS <VR pr April 17>

“In his latest reincarnation Lestat the Vampire is reborn as a rock star planning a concert to end all concerts in California’s Death valley on Halloween Night.

On the other side of the world, in London, a beautiful teenager, Jesse Reeves, is conducting research into the occult, and her inquiries lead her to a house in New Orleans where she discovers details of Lestat’s creation. She also learns of Lestat’s discovery of Akasha, Queen of the Damned and the Mother of all Vampires. From her research Jesse realises Lestat has drunk Akasha’s blood, and of the awful consequences this has for him, and mankind. His death valley concert is much more than a rock show, it is to be the venue for Akasha’s return to Earth.

Jesse has no choice other than to attempt to intervene, and offers herself to Lestat during a ritual which teaches her of the the vampires in her own family. She also learns of Akasha’s insatiable appetite for killing, and knows that if Lestat succeeds in bringing her back into existence at his concert, all is lost. In a chilling finale, much of it played out on-stage at the concert, Lestat and Akasha engage in a terrible struggle for power, with Jesse as the prize…or is she destined to become just another sacrifice?

<GM (Editor's comment): Sounds fun although the plot doesn’t seem terribly complicated. I wonder exactly how Lestat drank his mother’s blood if she doesn’t currently exist? Sounds as if Lestat has an Oedipus complex anyway!>"

   MELBOURNE'S TRIPLE M RADIO STATION  

On 19. April, 2000, the word was spread that Triple M is holding a competition in order to select the 10,000 extras required for Lestat's rock concert scenes. These scenes have been described in The Herald Sun as "the setting for the movie's chilling finale." (article featured below)

I am now awaiting news of just what is involved in this competition, and when the winners will be announced.

   THE AGE ONLINE ARTICLES  
(Melbourne's leading newspaper online!)

Due to their requiring money to view news archives, I have decided to post related articles here for the interest and benefit of all Queen of the Damned followers.

The corresponding links for the following articles are still current and are featured in my Links Archive. However, these may become broken at anytime, so here are the articles for safekeeping:

Film Boost For Melbourne

By Xavier La Canna
The Age Online - Breaking News
Monday, 17. April 2000

A new State Government taskforce will try to establish Melbourne as a production centre for film and television.

Melbourne draws blood in fight for film production

By Gabriella Coslovich
The Age Online - Film
Tuesday, 18. April 2000

Sydney might have the colossal Fox Studios, but Melbourne has, well, Melbourne - and that, it seems, has been enough to lure a multi-million-dollar Hollywood horror production to our shores.

The city's Gothic ambience and ability to be used to convey any number of modern-day metropolises has given it the competitive edge as the setting for the new vampire thriller Queen of the Damned.

Based on the third volume of author Anne Rice's vampire chronicles, the film will require Melbourne and surrounds to stand in for Los Angeles, New Orleans, London, and Death Valley.

The film, a co-production between Village Roadshow Pictures and Warner Brothers follows the success of 1994's Interview With The Vampire, which starred Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise - although Cruise is unlikely to star in the sequel, according to Village chairman John Kirby.

Premier Steve Bracks said the production was a "major coup" for Victoria, which would bring significant economic benefits and showcase Victoria as a centre for major movie production.

He paid tribute to the Melbourne Film Office and Cinemedia for attracting the production to Victoria.

The 44-day shoot, scheduled to start on August 21, is expected to create more than 150 jobs for local film technicians, he said.

"It's great news for Victoria. It's a multi-million-dollar investment, it's hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs if you take into account all those technical production assistants and some of the extras," Mr Bracks said.

About 10,000 Victorians, in fact, will be needed as extras in a Ben Hur-size rock concert scene.

In his latest incarnation, vampire Lestat (played by Tom Cruise in Interview With The Vampire), is a rock star planning "a concert to end all concerts" in California's Death Valley on Halloween night. FM radio station MMM will help to cast extras for the rock extravaganza.

The movie will be directed by Melbourne's Michael Rymer, whose credits include the AFI-Award-winning Angel Baby.

But Mr Kirby was tight-lipped about the film's cast, cost and exact shooting locations.

He would only reveal that the production would cost "tens of millions" and that Sydney had been in the running to host the film.

American actor Wes Bentley, of American Beauty fame, was set to star in Queen of the Damned, but the Hollywood Reporter said last week that the actor was taking time off after the unexpected success of the Oscar-winning film.

Melbourne Film Office director Louisa Coppel said from Shanghai that she expected some Australian actors would be cast, particularly since Rymer was "a Melbourne boy".

Ms Coppel said that Melbourne's lack of a Fox-style sound stage was not an obstacle in luring the production to Victoria.

She said the office had located numerous warehouses that could double as studios.

"Melbourne has great warehouses, which make great studios. Around the world warehouses are commonly used as studios," she said.

Melbourne vamps up for Hollywood

By Lawrie Zion
The Age Online - Features
Tuesday, 18. April 2000

Yesterday's confirmation that the adaptation of Anne Rice's novel Queen of the Damned will be shot in Melbourne means Victoria will host one of the largestscale film productions ever shot in this country.

The project follows the success of the 1994 film Interview With the Vampire, which was also based on one of Rice's vampire chronicles. Directed by Neil Jordan and starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, Interview was made for about $US50 million and went on to gross more than $US221 million worldwide.

Described as a modern-day thriller, Queen of the Damned picks up the story of the vampire Lestat, who has reinvented himself as a rock star. His music wakes up Akasha, the queen of all vampires, who decides to make him her king. Meanwhile, an 18-year-old London woman with a fascination for the dark side falls in love with Lestat.

The film's 44-day Melbourne shoot (plus 10 days' filming in Los Angeles) will mark a return home for director Michael Rymer, who has been working in the United States since the success of his 1995 film Angel Baby. Rymer is in New York where he is directing a film set in the fashion world called Perfume, which stars Omar Epps, Jeff Goldblum, Paul Sorvino and Sports Illustrated model Estella Warren.

But mystery continues to deepen about who will take the lead role of Lestat. With Tom Cruise definitely not in contention to reprise his Interview with the Vampire role, it had been widely expected that the part would be played by rising star Wes Bentley, who is best known for his eyecatching performance as Ricky Fitts in American Beauty.

Yet weekend reports that Bentley has dropped out of the picture mean that a new male lead will need to be found ahead of the shoot's expected start date of August 21. At the same time, The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Hong Kong-based singer Aaliyah is set to play the role of Akasha. Aaliyah made her feature debut in the action-oriented romance Romeo Must Die, which has yet to release in Australia.

No Australians have been touted for any of the film's leading roles, but the production is expected to use 10,000 Melburnians as extras for a rock concert that will be featured in the movie.

Queen of the Damned will be co-produced by Warner Bros and the Australian-owned Village Roadshow Pictures as part of a partnership that aims to produce 40 movies over the next five years.While Melbourne has missed out on the recent spate of major international productions shot in Australia, the chairman of Village Roadshow Limited, John Kirby, said yesterday that "the firstclass facilities and the enthusiastic support we have received from all quarters has made the decision to bring Hollywood to Melbourne an easy one". Support for the project has also come from the State Government's Production Incentive Assistance Fund.

Where in Melbourne the film will be shot remains unclear. The Melbourne Film Office has been searching for sites that will double for New Orleans, Los Angeles and London and final decisions will be made later next month when the full complement of the production team arrives from the US.

   THE HERALD SUN ARTICLES  
(another Melbourne newspaper)

Again, due to their requiring money to view news archives, I have decided to post related articles here for the interest and benefit of all Queen of the Damned followers.

The corresponding link for the following article is still current and is featured in my Links Archive. However, this may become broken at anytime, so here is the article for safekeeping:

$50m Vampire Project

By Fran Cusworth
The Herald Sun
18. April, 2000

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