“Australian Town Bids Farewell to Liam Neeson as Filming Concludes on New Movie: ‘It’s Been Amazing!’
Liam Neeson (Photo: Getty Images)
The Ballymena-born actor set up camp in the historic gold-mining town, alongside the rest of the cast and crew, for his upcoming Ice Road sequel entitled Road to the Sky.
The town in the Victoria state is approximately two and a half hours east of Melbourne and it has spent the past few weeks documenting on social media its transformation into a Nepalese village for the movie.
Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky follows ice road trucker Mike McCann, played by Neeson, who travels to Nepal to spread his brother’s ashes on Mount Everest.
The first film in the series, The Ice Road (2021), was set in Canada.
In a social media post, the town said the filming, which included the town’s buildings being painted in bright colours and Nepalese props added, had been a “wonderful chapter”.
“And just like that, it’s all over. The Hollywood magic moves on,” the town admin wrote.
“It’s been an amazing experience. Fabulous to have so many stars in town. A wonderful chapter in our history book. We hope you have enjoyed the ride too.”
Last month, Walhalla confirmed to residents that the town would host the film’s 90 crew members as part of the shoot.
The presence of the 71-year-old Hollywood actor and the transformed town had driven tourists to the place, which is home to just 20 permanent residents.
On Tuesday, Walhalla wrote online: “Clearly watching the stunt scenes has captured the imagination, as many people have arrived to have a look.
“Remember that tomorrow is the final day of filming, if you want to have a look, and the set will be dismantled on Thursday. It is going to be hot, so bring sunscreen, a hat and water if you want to view the stunt action.”
In the sequel, Neeson finds himself on a packed tour bus traversing the world’s highest climb. He and his guide must fight for their lives, and those of others, against a group of mercenaries.
Writer-director Jonathan Hensleigh, who wrote Die Hard With A Vengeance and Armageddon, is also involved in the project.
Joining Neeson in the cast are Australian stars Bernard Curry, Geoff Morrell and Grace O’Sullivan.
Last week, Neeson was spotted on the set for his first day of filming wearing a plaid shirt, a zipped padded vest and dark jeans — more winter appropriate despite the hot weather in Australia.
A make-up artist was seen applying fake blood to his forehead for the scene, which involved a Mount Everest tour bus.
The Taken star was also seen filming a fight scene with a man dressed in what appeared to be a guard or police officer’s uniform.
The original Ice Road film, sold to Netflix in a record $18m US deal, was also snapped up by a host of international distributors.
However, it wasn’t a hit with critics, gaining just 44% on review site Rotten Tomatoes.
