Hollywood stars Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt will be shooting their multi-million euro film in Gozo this summer, The Sunday Times of Malta has learnt. Sources said the main filming location will be at the picturesque Mġarr ix-Xini bay, where a set will be built.
People from the production team were seen in Malta throughout the week making preparations for the filming to start towards the end of August.
When contacted, Film Commissioner Engelbert Grech said he was still waiting for a definitive reply.
“All I can say is that the couple’s scouting in Gozo last weekend went well,” he said with reference to the superstar couple’s two-day visit last weekend to assess various locations.
However, the production has raised eyebrows over the inclusion of Maltese company Pellikola, which was involved in the environmental disaster at Dwejra in Gozo four years ago during the filming of HBO TV series Game of Thrones.
The company had to pay €36,500 after it breached the conditions of a filming permit when construction sand was dumped all over the fossil-rich and protected site of Dwejra.
The Malta Environment and Planning Authority had also come under fire over a series of shortcomings.
‘The buck stopped with me 4 years ago’
Oliver Mallia from Pellikola was seen accompanying Ms Jolie and Mr Pitt as they toured various locations in Gozo last week.
The Mġarr ix-Xini and Ta’ Ċenċ areas are considered to be of high environmental importance.
Mr Mallia said he could not confirm whether the film was going to happen in Malta but insisted that if it did, his company would work hand-in-hand with Mepa.
“The buck stopped with me four years ago but I learnt from the mistake,” he insisted.
Mr Mallia said that since the Dwejra incident he had proposed a Mepa policy on how to deal with film production permits that included continuous monitoring and involvement of the authority from day one.
“Since Dwejra I have been involved in the production of other films that were shot in historically sensitive sites and there were no problems whatsoever,” Mr Mallia said.
No formal applications have yet been filed with Mepa for filming and set-building in Mġarr ix-Xini but sources told The Sunday Times of Malta that officials from the authority had already visited the sites in question.
Mr Grech would not be drawn into commenting on the involvement of Pellikola when asked about the environmental sensitivity of the chosen sites.
“Without entering into the merits of individual cases, the Film Commission will work hand-in-hand with Mepa to follow proper procedures at all stages of production irrespective of which company or film is involved,” he said.
The film scripted by Ms Jolie has no name yet. This will be the first time since Mr and Mrs Smith, when the couple acted together, that the star Hollywood couple will work on the same movie.
They have six children and last came to Malta in 2011 when Mr Pitt was filming the zombie movie World War Z.
Ms Jolie, who is a UN goodwill ambassador for refugees, was last Friday made an honorary dame in the Queen’s birthday honours, one of the highest accolades granted by the British establishment. She was recognised for her work on sexual crimes during conflict.