BATON ROUGE — Louisiana’s economic development office announced that the Walt Disney Company is about to begin filming a $40 million live-action movie this June in Baton Rouge. The futuristic teen adventure, titled Crater, will debut on the Disney+ streaming platform.
The production will be based at the Celtic Media Centre, near Bluebonnet Boulevard and I-10, and on location throughout the greater Baton Rouge area.
The state said the production, part of a “flurry” of film work in Louisiana, will employ 325 crew members and 400 extras. Notably, 15 movie and TV projects are in production or pre-production in the state at this time. In 2020, Louisiana Entertainment, a division of Louisiana Economic Development, certified nearly $430 million in production spending, including more than $157 million in Louisiana resident payroll, for projects enrolled in the state’s Motion Picture Production Incentive Program.
“Entertainment helps to define our unique Louisiana culture,” said Gov. John Bel Edwards in a press release. “It is also is a significant contributor to our economy. We are happy to welcome Disney to Baton Rouge for another exciting film project.”
Over the past 20 years, Disney has filmed many motion picture and TV projects in Louisiana, including the 2004 baseball comedy Mr. 3000, three seasons of the preschool TV series Imagination Movers and Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger series for the Freeform network. Season two of the Disney+ series Secrets of Sulphur Springs is currently in pre-production in Louisiana.
“We appreciate the creative resources and the business-friendly environment that Louisiana has to offer our industry,” said Mary Ann Hughes, Disney’s vice president of production and investment planning. “We know we can count on a skilled crew base and excellent studio facilities whenever we bring a film project to Louisiana.”
Directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Crater is a “coming-of-age story about a boy growing up on a lunar colony who takes a trip to explore a mysterious crater,” according to press materials. Shawn Levy, director of the Night at the Museum films, and Dan Levine are producers.
“We are thrilled to welcome a media and entertainment giant like Disney to our community,” said Baton Rouge’s Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome. “This opportunity will be a significant investment in our economy and our local film industry. We look forward to building strong relationships with Disney, and establishing a foundation for future production opportunities at Celtic.”
