Will WB Move Fringe Filiming To Canada?

Crain's New York Business is reporting that there may be trouble up ahead for Fringe. Due to the recent financial turmoil, the tax incentives offered for filming in NY have dried up. Legislators in Albany are uncertain whether they will renew the fund, leaving production companies already filming in NY in a bind.

“We are trying to make sure that Albany understands the severity of the situation,” said Alan Suna, president of Silvercup Studios in Long Island City, Queens. “These jobs are going to be eviscerated from the New York economy with no replacements.”

While Fringe is shown on FOX in the US, and based in Boston, it is produced by Warner Bros in NY. The WB has stated that they will not stay in NY without the tax breaks. This could mean that the show will move back to Canada, where the pilot was filmed. In fact the producers of Fringe are already scouting stage space in Toronto and drawing up budgets to start shooting there.

According to my inside source, Toronto is where TV shows go to die, and by moving the show to Canada to save money, it will also allow the WB to fire 220 US crew members.

Film workers have started a petition to fund the incentive program. In just two days, more than 6,000 signatures have been collected. Please sign your name to show your support. You may also contact the NY officials directly:

NY Governor
David A. Patterson
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224
Phone: (518) 474-8390
Click here to email the Governor

Speaker of the New York State Assembly
Sheldon Silver
250 Broadway
Suite 2307
New York, NY 10007
Phone: (212) 312-1420
Fax: (212) 312-1425
Click here to email Assembly member Silver.

New York State Senator Majority Leader
Malcolm A. Smith
250 Broadway, Suite 1930
New York, NY 10007
Phone: (212) 298-5585
Fax: (212) 298-5605
Email: masmith@senate.state.ny.us

"The Fringe Trucks Have Arrived!"

That's the headline over at Filming in Brooklyn, and to the left is one of the pictures of the trucks, we're going to need lots of trucks.

FiB says, "We’ll be going back tonight - the shoot is scheduled to go until 3am," so if you're into that sort of thing, then be sure to check back in with FiB later tonight and in the morning.

Personally, while I can't see reporting on every shoot (it will be old news soon enough), I'll admit, it was fun looking at pictures of trucks.

Fringe Begins Filming In Brooklyn

The appropriately named website Filming in Brooklyn has a report today confirming that Fringe is filming in--wait for it--Brooklyn. While there are no real spoilers in the report, which includes a few spy photos of Joshua Jackson, be forewarned that these types of reports essentially deal in spoilers. If that's not a problem for you, the article is here.

Word on the street is the next chance you'll get to catch Fringe filming is the morning of July 10th, in the vicinity of 7th Avenue and 92nd Street, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York.

Update: Make that Friday.