Calm down; Disney has not pulled the plug on the upcoming “Hannah Montana” movie. It’s just that the film based on the hugely popular Disney TV series starring Miley Cyrus has hit a bit of a snag.
According to new reports, Cyrus’ dad, singer Billy Ray (who also plays her father on the show) really wants his daughter’s new film to be shot in Tennessee, but state officials say they might not be able to offer the producers enough financial incentives.
The new movie is scheduled to start shooting in April and is expected to be released in late 2008 or early 2009. In it 14-year-old Cyrus reprises her role as high school student, Miley Stewart, who moves from Tennessee to Southern California and lives a secret double life as a pop star. The plot of the upcoming movie centers on the fictional Stewart family’s return to “The Volunteer State.”
Given the focus of the movie’s plot, Disney producers agreed with Billy Ray that it is only fitting for the new movie to be shot in Tennessee. In addition, the director of the Tennessee Film, Entertainment and Music Commission, said the state could benefit from having the movie shot locally. However, Tennessee is limited in what financial incentives it can offer Disney so filming may have to take place in Louisiana instead.
According to state leaders, Louisiana has an aggressive program that provides major benefits to companies who film there. Meanwhile, Tennessee features a program that is limited in the number of rebates and sales-tax breaks it can offer to filmmakers.
Cyrus recently told news reporters he hopes Tennessee does what it can to compete for the film. After all, it’s not just the fictional Stewart family who has roots in Tennessee; the real-life Cyrus family has a home there as well.