Terra Nova Queensland

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said on Monday that Steven Spielberg's time travel TV series, “Terra Nova” will shoot in Queensland, with production expected to begin in October.

The Queensland State Premier said "Fox Broadcasting has today confirmed Queensland as the location of choice for 'Terra Nova' … and once again shows Queensland's ability to attract first rate productions to the state."

she also added, "My government provided considerable incentives through Screen Queensland to secure this production which, in turn, will generate in excess of AUS$54 million ($50 million) in economic activity and create thousands of jobs."

Bligh said that Queenslanders will make up around 80% of the cast and crew.

The show’s production will be mainly centered on locations around southeast Queensland and at the Warner Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast.

Executive vice president of production, Jim Sharp stated, “We wanted this ambitious series to look like no other on television and Queensland provided the best of all possible worlds,"

"Queensland had the right look, climate and terrain, a vibrant production community and attractive economic incentives. We are very excited to be shooting our first production there."

Terra Nova will star Jason O’Mara (U.S. version of "Life on Mars"), is set in the year 2149 and tells the of a group of scientists who travel back 85 million years to prehistoric Earth to try to save the planet that is dying from development and overcrowding.

Executive Producers of Terra Nova are Steven Spielberg and Peter Chernin with Alex Graves and Jon Cassar to direct the pilot and the series.

Spielberg has used Queensland as a location before, having made the HBO series “The Pacific” in Queensland and Victoria in 2007.

Speculation from within the local industry has had “Terra Nova” being made in Australia for the past six months.

Fox executives stated last week that the launch of the 13-part, one-hour series had been postponed to the fall of 2011.

Fox will preview the first episode of “Terra Nova” in May 2011 and then launch the first season later in the fall, the same timing strategy it also used to premiere “Glee.”

Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly said "It was mainly due to the scope of what this show is going to take," at the Television Critics Association's press tour. "Hopefully we'll be able to recreate the same thing we did with ‘Glee.'"