Jornal do Centro initially reported that the region of Viseu, namely the former IP5, will be the scene of some filming of this feature film, while the mayor of Vila Real, Rui Santos, publicly stated that the city will host a Hollywood production linked to "high speed", between June and July.

"This type of production covers several sectors, carpentry, construction, machinery, wardrobe, small businesses, it is a very complete area", said Sofia Noronha, adding that the shooting will also feature Portuguese actors, who have not yet been announced.

"Fast X", the tenth film in the Fast and Furious series, is directed by Frenchman Louis Leterrier, who directed "Masters of Illusion" and "The Incredible Hulk".

Hollywood stars

With a screenplay by Justin Lin and Dan Mazeau, the film is to feature Vin Diesel, Charlize Theron, Jason Momoa, Brie Larson, Michelle Rodriguez and the Portuguese actress Daniela Melchior, with shooting taking place in the United Kingdom, Italy and Portugal.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film's budget has already exceeded 300 million dollars (about €284 million), a figure that does not include spending on marketing and advertising.

For reasons of contractual confidentiality, there are many details that cannot be revealed, namely budgetary ones, but the producer says that "it is a huge economic investment in the country".

Portugal great for filming

"It's opening the taps and using the maximum of Portuguese services. [...] Portugal has all the conditions to be a great location for filming, not only for the time, for the affordable prices and for the workmanship, which are all quite flexible, but also because the Portuguese learn very quickly", he said.

Sagesse Productions was created in 2020 in the middle of a pandemic and in addition to "Fast X", the production company was involved in the filming of House of the Dragon, the prequel to the television series Game of Thrones, which was partially shot in 2021 in Monsanto.

Tax incentives

For Sofia Noronha, the creation of tax incentives by the Government in 2018 is one of the reasons for the presence of more foreign productions such as "Fast X" in Portugal.

"The film industry is used to these incentives and all our competitors and neighbours have tax incentives, because normally the investment made in the country is almost double that tax incentive, the country always ends up benefiting", she said.

The movie "Fast X" is scheduled for release on 19 May, 2023, in theatres in the United States of America.