Hollywood star Jamie Foxx is bringing his action-movie credentials to Australia, with the Oscar-winning actor taking on a high-stakes thriller Down Under.
Foxx stars in Deadlocked as a grieving former Marine serving jury duty, but things take a turn when the landmark trial erupts in chaos.
When the defendant's daughter seizes the courthouse to free her father, the courtroom becomes the scene of a hostage stand-off.
Foxx has tackled action-packed roles in White House Down and Django Unchained, and his latest film is bringing Hollywood-scale action to Victorian streets.
Melbourne is doubling for New York City, with filming under way across the city centre, Docklands and Port Melbourne.
Large-scale action sequences will also be filmed in the Docklands precinct.
The production is expected to inject more than $36 million into the Victorian economy, generate more than 855 jobs for local cast and crew and provide work for 1000 extras.
It will also employ 14 Victorians in heads of department roles and create 60 post-production jobs, while supporting 370 Victorian businesses, including specialists in armoury, safety and stunts.
"We're thrilled to be back in Victoria with our incredible cast and crew making another high-octane thriller," producer Paul Currie said.
"Melbourne's CBD is an extraordinary backdrop for a film of this scale, and we're looking forward to bringing some excitement to the city for Melburnians as we film some spectacular action sequences."
Producer Fred Berger said Victoria offered a combination of "world-class stages" and "locations that can stand in for many big cities in America".
"I've filmed all over the world, and few places have impressed me as much as Victoria, both for its versatile locations and the talent of crew within its screen industry," he said.
Victorian Creative Industries Minister Vicki Ward said the production demonstrated trust in the state's screen industry.
"Deadlocked filming in Melbourne is another huge vote of confidence in our crews, our locations and our talent," she said.
The film also stars Australian actor Luke Hemsworth (Westworld), Sasha Calle (The Rip) and KiKi Layne (Vought Rising).
They are joined by Donné Ngabo (Last Days), Josh McConville (Black Snow), Darcy Bryce (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga), Jane Allsop (One More Shot) and Stephen Hall (Shaun Micallef's Mad as Hell).
The film adds to Victoria's track record with Amazon MGM Studios, which has also produced Foe, Ice Road 2: Vengeance and Ricky Stanicky in the state.
