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Captain America flees the country? Marvel decision to film in London gets scrutinized

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The battlefields of Word War II never reached New York, Washington or Los Angeles, so it’s no huge surprise that Marvel Studios and director Joe Johnston are making their period-piece “Captain America” film in Europe, but Richard Verrier at Company Town reports that there is still L.A. disappointment over the decision. Here’s an excerpt, but you should read the whole piece right here.

The upcoming movie from Marvel Studios was originally to be filmed in Los Angeles. Instead, “Captain America: The First Avenger,” starring Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson and Hugo Weaving will shoot this July in London, where the story is partially set.

That decision was a blow to L.A.’s below-the-line community, which had been banking on the project to employ hundreds of crew members at a time when relatively few big-budget features are shot locally, thanks to rising competition from other states and countries.

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When Marvel, which is based at Raleigh Studios in Manhattan Beach, launched its studio in 2007, executives said they planned to film their first four projects in Los Angeles. The studio has largely delivered on that pledge. The hit film Iron Man and its sequel “Iron Man 2,” currently in theaters, were shot in-state, featuring locations including the Alabama Hills in the Eastern Sierra, Edwards Air Force Base and the Sepulveda Dam.

Marvel’s next release, “Thor,” also was filmed mostly locally, including at the Getty Center in Brentwood, but also included scenes in New Mexico, which offers a popular film rebate.

But the studio, which was acquired by Walt Disney Co. last year, concluded that London was the best location for “Captain America,” largely because the story is set in Europe and will feature a number of scenes in London such as Piccadilly Circus, and also because of favorable tax incentives.

THERE’S MORE, READ THE REST

-- Richard Verrier

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