Governor Bill Richardson Announces Paul to Shoot in New Mexico
Contact: New Mexico Film Office (505) 476-5600SANTA FE (June 8, 2009) —Governor Bill Richardson today announced that Universal Pictures and Working Title Films' Paul will shoot in New Mexico. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) re-team for the comedy-adventure to be directed by Superbad’s Greg Mottola. From June 8 through mid-August, the production will film in and around Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Moriarty, Madrid, Galisteo, Pecos, Las Vegas, Chimayo and Taos. It plans to hire at least 120 local crewmembers and more than 500 actors, including principals and background talent.
Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Jane Lynch and Sigourney Weaver will co-star in the film. Working Title partners Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan will produce with Nira Park of Big Talk Productions. Liza Chasin, Debra Hayward and Robert Graf serve as executive producers. Set in the USA and taking on a myriad of legendary science fiction locations, Paul is a comedy about two sci-fi geeks who make a pilgrimage to the center of UFO heartland—America's infamous Area 51. In the middle of the desert they have a bizarre encounter with an alien called Paul, which leads to a road trip that will change their lives forever. The sci-fi geeks will be played by Pegg and Frost. Seth Rogen will take on the voice of the title character. Since Richardson took office, more than 120 major feature films and television series have shot in the state, adding more than $2.5 billion dollars to New Mexico’s economy.
