Pacific war movie Midway to film in Montreal

The battle took place around the Midway Atoll, which lies in the Pacific Ocean equidistant between Hawaii and eastern Asia.

Midway will shoot at MELS Studios in Montreal, where Emmerich (pictured) has previously filmed disaster movie The Day After Tomorrow and action film White House Down.

“We are proud to welcome director Roland Emmerich back to Montreal and MELS for his latest mega film, Midway, which will provide work for our local film crews and the opportunity to demonstrate their expertise and knowhow, as well as generate significant economic benefits,” said Michel Trudel, president of MELS.

The Montreal leg of the shoot is reportedly a replacement for a previous planned shooting schedule that involved California as a location. Indeed, this time last year the movie was conditionally approved for California tax credit support worth nearly $14m.

Montreal has become a long-term production base for the X-Men superhero franchise and also has a thriving visual effects industry.

Midway is in fact beginning with location work in Hawaii and scenes are scheduled to be shot at a military base near Honolulu, according to local media outlet the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii is a popular filming location for US films and TV shows, particularly those seeking jungle settings. Disney movie Jungle Cruise has been shooting locally in recent months with Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, and both Jurassic World and its sequel Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom also filmed on the archipelago.

See KFTV's production guide for more on filming in Quebec.

Image: Reiner Bajo/Columbia Pictures/Sony Entertainment