Wilmington could be in the running to see another film or television project land in town soon, thanks to an unexpected development regarding the state’s film grant fund.
 
The recent cancellation of a proposed remake of Dirty Dancing that was to be filmed in western North Carolina and was promised $4 million of the state’s $10 million in grant incentive funds leaves that money on the table. Wilmington Regional Film Commission director Johnny Griffin said there has been a high level of interest from projects that would like to use that incentive money.
 
“When Dirty Dancing canceled, the state sent out letters to the industry. Interest is high, judging from the number of phone calls we’ve gotten,” Griffin said Thursday evening. “Projects still want to come here.”
 
Friday is the state-imposed deadline for projects to respond to the opportunity, Griffin said, and he expects that there will be “several” of those that have expressed an interest that do apply for the grant funds and would locate their projects in the state.
 
Since Wilmington has the resources – studios, film commission expertise and experienced crews – to accommodate film and television productions, the region could have an edge in attracting a project, officials said.
 
Griffin explained that once the applications are in, the N.C. Film Office and other state officials will take a week or two to review them and select one or more, depending on how much grant money the project or projects would require.
 
“By that time, the state budget will be done, and we’ll have even more money,” Griffin said, adding that he thinks that although some business incentives programs have been taken out of the Senate’s budget proposal to help legislators resolve differences, the film grant incentive is still in the budget.
 
“The grant fund will come in somewhere between $10 million and $40 million,” he said.
 
Wilmington-filmed Under the Dome received $5 million in grants earlier this year from the initial $10 million. Besides Dirty Dancing, the only other production to be awarded money for the funding period through June 30 was a film project called Late in the Season based in the Charlotte area.

As to reports that the CBS show Under the Dome will be taking its production elsewhere if it is renewed for a fourth season, Griffin said that “there are all kinds of rumors.”
 
“We do pay attention to rumors, but we have heard nothing official,” he said.