Hollywood showed up at the state Capitol on Friday -- well, maybe not Hollywood, but Scottsdale, at least.
The Arizona-based Pure Flix Film Entertainment production company started shooting scenes in the state Capitol for the sequel of the 2014 film God's Not Dead.
From morning and into the evening, production crews set up posts throughout parts of the Capitol for God's Not Dead II, which company officials said is due out before Easter.
The film's producer and Pure Flix partner, Michael Scott, said the building's ornate architecture and aesthetics were a natural for the film, which will further delve into Christian themes and questions about the nature of God.
The first film, which featured actors Kevin Sorbo and Dean Cain, cost $2 million to make and earned $60 million. It was shot in Baton Rouge.
Scott said he wanted to find a different setting for the second film, and Little Rock stood out in terms of local talent, scene potential and support from the state.
"We met with the Film Commission and the governor, just wonderful locations, they were helpful through the process," Scott said. "A lot of states are not helpful through the process, but they were able to shepherd us through: 'Here's the things that we can offer, whether it's locations or whatever.'"
The head of the Arkansas Film Commission, Christopher Crane, was unreachable for comment Friday.
Multiple calls placed to different offices under Secretary of State Mark Martin, who has the duty of maintaining the Capitol grounds, were not returned.
Lawmakers in 2013 strengthened the incentives for the state's film industry.
Film production companies of a certain size are eligible for tax rebates of up to 20 percent on production costs, as well as an additional 10 percent rebate for payroll taxes for production crew members who are Arkansans.
Scott's production company started work in the state in May and started filming two weeks ago. He expects to wrap up shooting by mid-July and will close up shop in Little Rock by early August.
The movie will star film and TV veteran Melissa Joan Hart as a high school history teacher who speaks openly about her understanding of Jesus Christ and draws the ire of school district administrators, as well as attorneys from a civil liberties group.
It becomes a courtroom drama in which Hart defends her actions and her faith, in a civil suit filed by an attorney played by David Arquette. Hart's attorney in the film is played by Jesse Metcalfe.
The sequel has the same director, Harold Cronk, and some characters are returning from the original film in smaller roles.
"It's a sequel, but it's different," Scott said. "The brand is not about a couple characters, it's really about is God dead or not. The first film dealt with God and his existence. The second one deals with who was God? If he was Jesus, was he man, myth or messiah?"
Beyond recognizable names such as Arquette and Hart, the film will use many local actors and extras.
The project's staff said about 70 percent of the production team consists of Arkansans, and about 60 percent of the 60-person cast is made up of Arkansans.
Scott said there is an obvious tax advantage to using local talent, and he said it's good to develop relationships with local filmmakers.
"I love to work with the locals here, they know how the town works," Scott said. "We want to be able to come back in the future, and if we foster the talent that's here ... hopefully it spurs more growth inside the film industry [in Arkansas] as a whole."
Metro on 06/20/2015