Liam Neeson to star in Blacklight

Liam Neeson is to star in 'Blacklight'.

The 68-year-old actor is said to have been quarantining in a hotel in Sydney for a week ahead of flying to Melbourne to start shooting the Hollywood action movie.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper, Neeson will head to Melbourne this weekend and then begin filming on November 10th.

The motion picture is said to tell the story of a troubled FBI fixer who has to try to pull undercover agents out of dangerous situations.

Australia's Arts Minister Paul Fletcher has said the federal government are to contribute AUD$5.8 million to the movie's production, and the film is expected to create more than 500 local jobs.

He said: "'Blacklight' will bring momentum back to the Victorian screen industry, which has been so heavily impacted by Covid-19."

'Ozark' co-creator Mark Williams, who will direct the project, said: "I'm very friendly with the movie gods, so I had faith in the situation.

"I arrived in Australia a couple of months ago, and when I got out of quarantine and went walking around Sydney I was shocked at how many people were out and about without masks.

"I've been in Melbourne for the past month, and all the masks here make me feel much more comfortable, not just for our production but for everyone else in the city too."

Williams - who directed Neeson in this year's 'Honest Thief' - was also considering the US and Canada as potential filming locations for the motion picture, but he later decided on Australia after being convinced by the country's management of the coronavirus pandemic.