Eric Bana & 'The Dry' Director: 'Australia Can't Become The Backlot For American Stuff'

As major Hollywood productions continue heading to Australia to film multiple features and TV shows, acting legend Eric Bana and director Robert Connolly have called for the same support for the local industry.

Production on Baz Luhrmann's Elvis Presley biopic continues in Queensland, while the new Thor film and three Universal Studio Group productions, including NBC comedy Young Rock (based on the life of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) are all confirmed to be shot in Australia.

Bana and Connolly joined the latest episode of The Green Room with Neil Griffiths podcast to promote their new film, The Dry - which was filmed and produced entirely in Australia - and said there needs to be a "healthy balance" between major productions and Australian films being made locally.

"Australia can't become the backlot for American stuff," Connolly told podcast host Neil Griffiths.

"There's great things about [it]. Employment and opportunities for crews to upskill, but we just have to be really upfront. Australians love seeing Australian stories. We're one of the biggest cinema-going nations per capita."

Bana added that the crew on The Dry wanted to be working on a local production.

"There were some big productions that were up and running in Australia at the time and some of our crew had been offered very big long running contracts with some of these productions who chose to say no and to come and work on our film for a much shorter period of time in the middle of nowhere," he said.

"That was really heartening to us and it was a real show that people are making life decisions with regards to their work as well.

"There is a balance to be struck here. Films like The Dry need to be able to get a crew of this standard. We can't just have every great cinematographer and every great production manager and art director on a massive film that's then not available to a film like this."

Listen to the full episode The Green Room episode with Bana and Connolly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts (below) or wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.

The Dry - based on the popular 2016 novel by Jane Harper - follows Federal Agent Aaron Falk (Bana) who returns to his drought-stricken home town after an absence of over twenty years to attend the funeral of his childhood friend, who allegedly murdered his wife and child before taking his own life. Falk opens up an old wound -- the decades-old, unsolved death of a teenage girl.

The Dry hits cinemas across Australia on 1 January.