The Infiltrator, a big-budget film set to star Breaking Bad‘s Bryan Cranston, will be partly filmed in Tampa.
The film, produced by Good Films in association with it’s sister company George Films, is based on Tampa resident Robert Mazur’s autobiography about how he went undercover to infiltrate drug lord Pablo Escobar’s money laundering system. Good Films announced the shooting locations for the film Wednesday, with Paris and London on the list along with Tampa.
According to the Tampa Hillsborough Film and Digital Media Commission, filming will begin in February for the motion picture and it is a big win for the Tampa Bay area.
“This is a big win… that validates the time and resources we’ve dedicated to rebuilding our local film industry,” Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagen said in a news release to the Tampa Bay Times. “By attracting a big-budget motion picture like The Infiltrator, we’re proving that we can, and will, compete for projects that were regularly going to Miami, Orlando, or elsewhere in Florida.”
Brad Furman, who has a previous relationship with Cranston through their work together on The Lincoln Lawyer, will direct the production.
“Brad and I have invested a great deal of time ensuring that the casting on this film is absolutely perfect, and we feel we’ve done just that,” said Good Films founder Miriam Segal told The Hollywood Reporter. “Bryan’s talent is immeasurable and he continues to demonstrate his versatility and skill as an actor. The Infiltrator is a film that demands a dynamic and complex leading man, and we could not be more excited to have him on board.”
The retired federal agent and author is also thrilled to have Cranston playing him in the film.
“Frankly, I couldn’t be happier or prouder. The man is clearly, extraordinarily talented,” Mazur told Tampa Bay Times. “But it’s not just him that makes me happy; it’s the whole team leading this journey. These are people I’ve now dealt with for years. I think I’m a pretty good evaluator of people’s agendas – that’s what I did for a living undercover – and not only are they super-talented people … [but] very respectful of the story.”
A previously announced budget of $47.5 million was released by Good Films for The Infiltrator. Before Florida’s tax incentives fund was depleted and Legislature’s refused to replenish it, the production was set for $4.3 million in tax credits through the state. According to Tampa Bay Times, since the depletion of the incentives fund, the Hillsborough County Commission approved a “drop-in-the-bucket” $250,000 incentive for the film.
On top of the $250,000 incentive, Tampa is set to cover additional costs of the project, including the costs of street closures and off-duty police patrols. Production office space will be provided by Port Tampa Bay and students from the University of Tampa’s film production program will fill support positions for the production.
