Machanic : Resurrection
Tida Waree : a guest star in a super production !
MECHANIC : RESURRECTION
The blockbuster Mechanic: Resurrection will be released on screens in August 2016. The film includes some beautiful scenes at sea filmed in Thailand, for which Beneteau has made the Oceanis 54, Tida Waree, available to the film crew. The boat on loan from and prepared by the Thailand dealer, Simpson Marine, was the subject of a few cold sweats!
The story - The Casting
In this latest opus, Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) thought he’d escaped his former deadly life and disappeared. But now somebody’s found him, and kidnapped the woman he loves. Neither one of them will get out alive unless he completes a diabolical list of assassinations of the most dangerous men in the world.
In this latest opus, made by Dennis Gansel, Jason Staham acts with Jessica Alba, Tommy Lee Jones and Michelle Yeoh.
Secrets hangouts
We asked Sergio Loiacono, Managing Director of Simpson Marine in Thailand to tell us some secrets about the shooting in Thailand.
Why did the producers call on Beneteau when searching for a boat?
The seascapes that are part of the film’s scenario are located in Thailand, so finding a boat close to the film site was essential. Representing Beneteau in Asia for over 30 years, Simpson Marine is a leading player in the nautical industry in this part of the world. So it was a natural choice for the production team to look to us when searching for the ideal boat!
What were the specifications?
In the scenario, the boat owning couple is adventurous and during our first contact, the request was for a more traditional boat, which would have already sailed a good bit. However, the scenes planned on board were rough and tumble, requiring space on board and a very open deck plan. The boat also had to be reliable. When producing a film like this, thousands of dollars can be lost over a technical hitch. As discussions went on, I increasingly thought that an over 50-foot Sense or Oceanis would be appropriate. We have a Sense 50 at the Phuket marina, which would have suited perfectly and we had agreed on this solution, but the day before filming, the owner whose boat we were managing became scared. He had just read the scenario! In one night, we had to find a solution and Tida Waree, the Oceanis 54 that we offered immediately appealed to the production team.
What about the owner?
He knew what his Oceanis was capable of enduring and was immediately enthusiastic about the project! He is an English expatriate, working in Singapore, and we carry out maintenance on his boat at Phuket, when he is not sailing. Admittedly, Tida Waree has been scratched a few times, but this was inevitable and we repaired her with great care. As for the owner, he is rather proud now to be able to say that Jessica Alba was filmed in memorable scenes on his boat, or that weapons were concealed aboard. This is now part of the boat’s history.
What resources are needed to make such a boat available for a blockbuster production?
We requested a French skipper and an excellent sailor from Beneteau. This was indispensable. Five people from Simpson Marine devoted all their time to preparing the boat, its maintenance during filming, and all the coordination this involves. To begin with, only one mooring scene on the Island of Koh Yao Noi was planned. However, the production team decided to film additional scenes at Phuket’s Ao Po Grand Marina and we organized everything accordingly. The production team was really grateful and congratulated us both on the technical simplicity of working with the Oceanis and our teams skills. Initially, we took on this adventure because of our love of films. It then became a real challenge for the Simpson Marine Thailand, and it remains one of our finest moments as a team!
