S.C. may have lost Cusack movie

COLUMBIA — John Cusack, playing a young man dedicated to securing one last honor for a Vietnam hero dead more than 30 years, and a cast of Hollywood all-stars was preparing to descend on the Yorktown before the end of the year, but a dispute about incentives has sent them scrambling.

Filming for "The Last Full Measure" was scheduled to begin next month with the South Carolina Statehouse serving as a stand-in for the nation's Capitol, but director Todd Robinson said the state went back on its earlier offer.

"Laurence Fishburne, John Cusack, Andy Garcia, Robert Duvall, Morgan Freeman could be hitting golf balls at the golf courses, eating in the restaurants," Robinson said in a phone interview Tuesday from Los Angeles. "It's a boondoggle for South Carolina."

Robinson said he still wants to bring the film here but that the state needs to shell out the additional $1 million it originally offered for him to meet the business plan he delivered to his financiers. Robinson said when he came to begin work last week, he tried for the second time to get the state Commerce Department to restore its original offer but was turned down again. Now he's looking at Louisiana or Connecticut as alternate sites.

"We're on life support and it's because of the position the state of South Carolina put me in," Robinson said.

However, Commerce spokeswoman Kara Borie said the department's Coordinating Council told Robinson about two months ago that its original offer of $5.4 million in incentives had expired. The state is willing to offer one of its highest incentive packages to date at $4.4 million, she said.

Offers need to have an expiration date because while the state waits on a deal, it's also recruiting others, Borie said.

"We want to keep recruiting films in South Carolina," she said. "It's also very critical we do so reasonably, and we're good stewards of taxpayers' dollars."

An analysis of recent movies and television shows filmed in the state showed they have not made a return on investment, Borie said.

The council changed its policy in regard to film incentives in July by reinterpreting a state law to try to increase its return. It emphasized hiring of South Carolina residents and using in-state suppliers.

Many criticized the move because they think the state's film industry needs the incentives to continue to lure productions. Borie said the Commerce Department will continue to monitor its incentives and make changes as needed.

House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, said he is disappointed the state may have lost the movie.

"In a tourism-driven economy, it means subliminal advertising all across the country when the movie comes out and sometimes not so subliminal with a movie like this," Harrell said.

As part of the publicity, the cast and crew intended to promote the Charleston area and the Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial Museum at Patriots Point. The loss of the movie also would mean a loss of high-paying jobs, said Rep. Chip Limehouse, R-Charleston, author of several bills aimed at enticing the film industry. The production would require a crew of about 150 a day, but the number of employees immediately affected wasn't available Tuesday.

Harrell and Limehouse said they're working at identifying legislation to strengthen the state's bargaining power.

Gov. Mark Sanford's spokesman Joel Sawyer said the governor is not opposed to the Commerce Department re-evaluating its offer for "The Last Full Measure."

"But we are comfortable with Commerce's position so far," he said. Commerce is a Cabinet agency.

Reach Yvonne M. Wenger at 803-799-9051 or ywenger@ postandcourier.com.