Tennessee and Louisiana duel for Miley Cyrus flm location

By M&C US News Nov 26, 2007, 16:08 GMT

11/18/2007 - Miley Cyrus - 2007 American Music Awards - Arrivals - Nokia Theater - Los Angeles, California © Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos

Like countries, American States all compete with each other for filming location business, each one offering an array of tax incentives and perks to visiting production companies. 

Filming brings money, jobs and tourism to the areas used, and popular locations develop local economies that support Hollywood-styled industry, replete with specialized vendors and craftspeople.

Now singer Billy Ray Cyrus wants his daughter's upcoming "Hannah Montana" film to be shot in Tennessee, but state officials say they might not be able to offer the producers enough financial incentives, according to CNN.

Miley Cyrus and dad Billy Ray Cyrus are the stars of Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana."

The film based on the Disney TV series is scheduled to start shooting in April and expected to be released in late 2008 or early 2009.

In the series, 14-year-old Miley Cyrus plays a high school student, Miley Stewart, who moves from Tennessee to Southern California and lives a secret double life as a pop star. Billy Ray Cyrus also plays her father on the show.

The film is centered on the fictional Stewart family's return to Tennessee and it is only fitting for it to be shot in Tennessee as well.

The Cyrus family has a home in Tennessee and was in town for Thanksgiving during a break on Miley Cyrus' sold-out tour.

"The thing of it is, Walt Disney really wants to film this movie in Tennessee," Billy Ray Cyrus said.

Perry Gibson, executive director of the Tennessee Film, Entertainment and Music Commission, told CNN the state could benefit from having the movie shot locally.

"It would mean a real impact on tourism and it would be a family friendly film that would come to the state," she said. But Tennessee is limited in what incentives it can offer, she said.

Louisiana has a robust production infratructure of soundstages, vendors and a large population of skilled crew, and has cultivated an aggressive tax incentive program in recent years to bring film business to that state.

The Tennessee agency is still waiting for details from Disney about what Louisiana is offering, Gibson said. The Tennessee program offers rebates and sales-tax breaks to filmmakers based on a percentage of their in-state spending.

Cyrus said he thinks Tennessee can compete for the film. "Quite frankly, I think they are pretty close," he said.