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AAP
December 18, 2005
McLean turns lake into NT for croc flick
A small Victorian lake has been transformed into a Northern Territory man-eating crocodile site for Greg McLean's new film, Rogue.
The Wolf Creek director is quietly filming the movie of a seven metre crocodile stalking a tour boat in NT's Katherine Gorge on a private property in Warburton, 70km east of Melbourne.
"In order to be really scary, it needs to be believable," McLean told AAP on film set.
"We all know there is no such thing as a giant crocodile but there are seven metre crocodiles around.
"They are incredibly terrifying animals."
Alias star Michael Vartan has been cast in the lead, alongside Australians Radha Mitchell, Sam Worthington and Wolf Creek bad guy John Jarratt.
The film also stars Geoff Morrell, Celia Ireland, Heather Mitchell, Stephen Curry, Caroline Brazier, Mia Wasikowska, Rob Taylor, Damian Richardson and Barry Otto.
"I have tried to assemble an amazing bunch of actors and they are all doing phenomenal work," said McLean.
Production on Rogue began in November with the boat scenes shot on location in the Katherine Gorge, Arnhem Land and Kakadu.
This month, the production of 95 people moved to Victoria with the cast spending much of the time on a small man-made island and in the water.
"There are people up there (NT) that have been fishing and crocs come out and take their heads off," said Jarratt, who plays a good guy this time round.
"You see footage of crocodiles pulling cows and horses into the water. These (crocodiles) are big buggers and it is ... nothing to pull us in, just little humans."
Americans Bob and Harvey Weinstein have backed the film which is rumoured to have a $20 to $25 million budget.
Shooting will continue until mid-February with the film to be released around Christmas 2006 or early 2007.
"I wouldn't be making this movie (Rogue) unless Wolf Creek had happened and was as well regarded as it was," said McLean, who may next make a drama or romantic comedy.
"This is the payoff of making that film."
Wolf Creek cost less than $2 million to make and has taken more than $5.5 million at the local box office.
The R-rated outback thriller has been a massive hit in the United Kingdom and opens in the US in the new year.
Wolf Creek tells the story of three travellers threatened by a seemingly harmless local in the Australian outback and was inspired loosely by the stories of backpacker murderer Ivan Milat and the disappearance of English tourist Peter Falconio in the NT bush.
It was McLean's direction of Wolf Creek that attracted Vartan to Rogue.
"Greg McLean is basically the reason I am here," he said.
"After seeing Wolf Creek and speaking to him on the phone, I knew this guy was going to make a really different type of action thriller as opposed to all of those corny Hollywood ones.
"I don't know that any movie will ever match the intensity that Wolf Creek had, but we are trying."
Following the success of Wolf Creek, McLean was offered big budget Hollywood films in the United States but turned them down in favour of Rogue, a project he has been working on for many years.
"I didn't bust my arse for seven years to do a shit script," said McLean.
"I have been thinking about this movie for so long that I kind of had to get it done."
© AAP 2005
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