Hoteliers and taxi drivers are among those on Grand Bahama counting the projected financial losses after Disney Studios’ recent announcement that it will not begin filming Pirates of the Caribbean II & III this summer as had been originally billed.
Disney officials were remaining tight-lipped on the reason for the change of plans, but Paul Quigley, chief operating officer for the Bahamas Film Studios at Gold Rock Creek, said the massive water tank the studio is building to accommodate the films was being upgraded to accommodate Disney’s new specifications.
Tom Gustafson, Disney’s Caribbean background casting director, told The Bahama Journal several weeks ago that the casting department will return to the island at the end of August to search for movie extras, but he did not comment on the reason for the delay.
During his contribution to the 2005-2006 budget debate, Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe indicated that the delay was due in part to the water tank at the Gold Rock Creek Studios not being completed in time for filming.
“I am very concerned about [the delay] because this is a tremendous opportunity for Bahamians, hotel occupancy, rental car [companies] and all the rest and we don’t want to lose that project,” he said.
“I don’t want Hollywood to believe that we cannot deliver on a promise.”
Expectations were riding high on a summer production for the island which officials said is continuing to plod through an economic and employment drought in many areas.
Back in January, Prime Minister Perry Christie said Disney had committed to 16,000 hotel room nights during its production phase on the island, and he projected that the project would pump some $30 million into the island’s economy.
Ernestine Moxyz, communications manager for the Our Lucaya Resort, told The Journal on Tuesday that Disney had booked hundreds of room nights at the property and that the hotel would have turned down business since its rooms were previously booked by Disney.
Although she could not put a dollar figure on what she said were financial losses the resort would have sustained as a result of the delay, she said projected losses include room as well as food and beverage revenue.
“It’s not only the resort that would have incurred losses though,” Mrs. Moxyz said. “The taxi drivers and the merchants in the area were also expected to benefit from Disney’s business.
According to Kenneth Woodside, 1st Vice President of the Grand Bahama Taxi Union, approximately 25 taxi drivers were hired to work with Disney and had been working for the film company prior to the change in schedule.
“They were contracted by Disney and they dealt with the actors and construction workers taking them from place to place,” he said. “They are now laid off until such time as [Disney] resumes.”
Mr. Woodside said taxi drivers working for Disney were being granted gas and meal allowances, and indicated that Disney selected those drivers who had good quality vehicles suitable for the persons they were being contracted to transport.
In February, Disney held casting calls to select about 100 movie extras for paid roles in the motion picture films, according to the film company’s regional casting director.
Last month, Mr. Gustafson told The Journal that about 50 persons had been selected from the process, which screened about 1000 temporary employment hopefuls.
New casting calls announced late last month were later halted by the production hiatus.
By: Sharon Williams, The Bahama Journal
