Hollywood star, Antonio Banderas, will shoot his next film, “Barracuda” in Thessaloniki, a gangster film for which the beauotful Thessaloniki city in northern Greece will be transformed into Miami, Florida.
Robert Van Norden, the film’s producer, is currently in the romantic city of Thessaloniki to choose filming locations, which reportedly cost 20 million euros (about 24 million dollars).The producer, Van Norden, explained to local media that filming will begin in 2 weeks and the film crews will be in Thessaloniki for five weeks, as 30 days of filming are scheduled.
Van Norden announced that the plot is about a former criminal (Banderas) who has to deal with his old circles to save a girl.
The story takes place in Florida, the job of production is to make “some parts look like other parts.” “This is our job and we are happy to do it in Thessaloniki,” added van Norden.
“It will be a film that will not show Thessaloniki and Greece but the conditions and infrastructure to become Miami,” said Greek production director Dimitris Kampas.
At least 18 Hollywood films will be filmed in Greece in 2021. Which is great news for the battered Greek economy that needs this as tourism is expected to possibly hit 15 million tourists in 2021, compared to 33 million before Covid hit in 2019. The Netflix Hit, ‘Knives Out 2’, will begin filming on undisclosed Greek islands this month and will star Daniel Craig, Kate Hudson, and Edward Norton.