David Cronenberg to film Crimes of the Future in Greece this summer

Legendary Canadian director David Cronenberg is set to shoot a sci-fi film with the working title Crimes of the Future in Greece this summer.

Neon and Serendipity Point FIlms are producing the project, which is expected to star Viggo Mortensen, and will be set in the near future where humans' biological set-ups have been altered to create an accelerated evolution syndrome. 

Shooting will take place from August to September, mostly around the capital, Athens.

This will be one of more than 100 projects expected to shoot in Greece this year, according to Panos Kouanis, CEO of the National Centre of Audiovisual Media and Communication (EKOME).

One of these will be Disney+ movie Greek Freak, directed by Akin Omotoso, about the life of Milwauke Bucks basketball player Giannis Antetokounmpo, son of Nigerian immigrants, who grew up in Greece. Filming is due to take place in Greece from 4 May to 6 July in and around Athens, including at landmark locations like Monastiraki, Psyri and Syntagma Square.

Others include a follow-up film to Rian Johnson's popular murder mystery Knives Out, starring Daniel Craig, which has been bought by Netflix and is due to shoot in Greece in the summer; the third season of Paramount and Amazon Prime’s Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan series; and Nia Vardalos’ My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, although filming has been put on hold due to problems with getting insurance due to Covid, Vardalos confirmed recently.

Greece has a lot to offer as a filming location thanks to its stunning variety of landscapes - from archaeological sites and islands to jungles and snow-capped mountains; an enticing 40% cash rebate and 30% tax relief; co-production treaties with the likes of Canada, Israel and China; and talented local crew.

Recent projects to film there include Ruben Ostlund’s Triangle of Sadness, starring Woody Harrelson, BBC’s Little Drummer Girl, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter, starring Olivia Colman, and ITV series The Durrells.

Ostlund told KFTV and World of Locations, "The shooting was fantastic. The crew were experienced and engaged. The locals were friendly and making anything we asked for possible. The locations in Hiliadou, Evia are completely unique. To manage the shoot in these times, with a material that I’m more than satisfied with really doubles my pleasure. A big thanks to Heretic and the Hellenic Film Commission."

Watch our interview with Venia Vergou, director of the Hellenic Film Commission, explaining all you need to know about filming in Greece below...