Major movie to be filmed in Queensland, with jobs for war veterans

Viet Cong and North Vietnamese casualties numbered 245 dead on the battlefield, while 17 Australians were killed and one died of wounds.

Speaking in Los Angeles, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the Queensland government was supporting the production, which would begin filming around Anzac Day during the armistice centenary year.

"As Queenslanders pause to reflect on the sacrifices of our soldiers over the past century, a film crew will be capturing their very personal stories of courage, honour, mateship and loss," she said.

The movie will be produced by award-winning Australian Martin Walsh, himself a former Australian Special Forces commando.

He is planning an Anzac Day event during the shoot, bringing Long Tan veterans, cast, crew and locals together for a special memorial service.

Preproduction will start in March, with shooting from the end of April.

It is understood the film will include 860 jobs, including 200 for veterans of Afghanistan or Iraq.

Danger Close's script was written by Australian screenwriter and director Stuart Beattie, who wrote Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Collateral and Australia.

He wrote and directed Tomorrow, When the War Began and I, Frankenstein.

Ms Palaszczuk said production of Danger Close would employ about 120 full time Queensland crew members, offer 30 principal cast and bit-part roles and further strengthen Queensland's position as a serious movie-making destination.

While in the US on a trade and investment mission this week, Ms Palaszczuk will meet with studio heads at Twentieth Century Fox Film, Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures and Walt Disney to discuss new projects and partnerships.

Ms Palaszczuk also called on the Turnbull government to make permanent an increase in the location tax offset incentive at 30 per cent to give studios certainty as they prepared to finance films.

"I have written to the Prime Minister - now is the time to act or we will not get the films and the jobs that Queensland deserves," she said.

"Australia needs to be competitive with the rest of the world."

More than $214 million was spent in Queensland last financial year from direct investment by domestic and international productions, with 2340 direct jobs created by productions supported by Screen Queensland.

Danger Close is a collaborative project between Martin Walsh's production house Red Dune Productions and John and Michael Schwarz's Deeper Water.

During a meeting with Warner Bros senior executives, Ms Palaszczuk was told Aquaman, filmed on the Gold Coast, would be released prior to Christmas this year.

Of the 2100 cast, crew and extras employed making Aquaman, 81 per cent, or 1700, were Queenslanders.

In a meeting with Paramount Pictures, Ms Palaszczuk was advised the release date for Dora the Explorer would be August 2019, which meant filming would start July 2018.

Screen Queensland has bid for Dora to be filmed in Queensland.