A large, brand-new movie studio in Palm Beach County already has a potential box-office hit.
Twentieth Century Fox will film interior scenes for Speed II, sequel to the popular 1994 action movie, in the 20,000-square-foot sound stage at Palm Beach Ocean Studios in West Palm Beach, the studio's chief executive said on Thursday.
"I said when we opened in April we'd be lucky to get something in here by September," said Thorpe Shuttleworth, president and developer of the 42,000-square-foot studio at the Vista Center on Okeechobee Boulevard, west of Florida's Turnpike.
"And now we've got a high-budget action-adventure feature. Yes, that's a coup," he said.
Speed II will star Sandra Bullock, making a return appearance in the sequel, and Jason Patric, who is taking over the role played by Keanu Reeves in the original, according to Variety, the movie industry's trade publication.
Speed II will help get the studio's name out among film producers, said Chuck Eldred, executive director of the county's Film and Television Commission.
Eldred pushed for the county to give Shuttleworth $208,000 in job growth incentives.
"This is exactly what we needed to attract this kind of attention here," Eldred said.
And the studio is benefiting from the increased attention being paid to South Florida by Hollywood producers after recent films such as The Birdcage and Striptease, Shuttleworth said.
The film's producers will hire extra cast members in Florida, and other technical support workers may be hired locally as well.
Film industry publications estimate the cost of making Speed II at $40 million to $70 million.
The movie's producers toured the studio in April and have been working there since Monday. Sets are under construction in preparation for filming later this year.