Young Rock returns to Moreton Bay

Published 2:31pm 16 November 2020

Scarborough’s Tempest Restaurant and Teppanyaki is believed to be the next Moreton Bay Region venue chosen as a filming location for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Young Rock series.

Late last week manager Leo told Moreton Daily the NBC series “might” be using the restaurant as a film set, but declined to comment further.

This morning Tempest posted to Facebook, advising patrons the venue was closed for a private event on November 16 and 17.

“Sorry for the inconvenience,” the post says.

Restaurant closed temporarily

A visit to Tempest today confirmed the venue was closed, with Bird O’Passage Parade and the restaurant’s customer carpark lined with rental trucks, a small sign out the front advising of the two-day closure.

Workers on the site said they could not comment on what they were there for, but referred Moreton Daily to Screen Australia.

In September, Screen Australia announced Young Rock was one of three Universal Group Studio TV series to be filmed in Brisbane’s Screen Queensland studios and in other locations around the state over an 18 month period, bringing a boost to the state’s filming industry.

Financial boost

The 11-series show focuses on Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s formative years.

Strathpine was in the spotlight last month, with daytime scenes filmed in Lincoln St and Bells Pocket Rd.

Excitement around the production fuelled speculation The Rock himself was in town, prompting then-Health Minister Steven Miles to quash rumours the star had used an alias to evade COVID-19 quarantine rules.

Fans of Moreton Bay

Mayor Peter Flannery confirmed the Young Rock film crew was returning and says they commented on how easy Moreton Bay Regional Council has been to work with compared with others.

“I want to thank Council officers for their lightning fast turnaround on these approvals and the community for their patience,” he says.

“I want Moreton Bay to earn a reputation as the easiest place to film in South East Queensland, so I’m really heartened by such positive feedback.

“The economic benefit of having 100 crew in our region for both days was great and I look forward to them coming back for a third.”

Shimmering coasts

Mayor Flannery hopes the film crew tells other production houses how keen the council is to embrace such opportunities.

“With our shimmering coastlines and stunning hinterland, why wouldn’t we be able to lure some A-listers away from the Gold Coast and Sydney?

“We’re already the first choice for a lot of national and international brands to film advertisements, but we want a slice of that Hollywood razzle dazzle.”