The Fifth Mafia

A mafia crime drama will be filmed in west Michigan in and around Grand Rapids to take advantage of the state’s new financial incentives for TV and movie production, its director said Wednesday.
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"The Fifth Mafia" will start filming in May and spend most of the summer on location in Michigan, said Director Vito J. Giambalvo.

Giambalvo said the project had been slated for production in Los Angeles but was moved to take advantage of the incentive package, which provides subsidies of up to 42% of production costs for TV, movie and video game development. Giambalvo said Fifth Mafia is a $6 million project.

It is unlikely, however, to be the first approved under the incentives legislation. Liz Boyd, spokeswoman for Gov. Jennifer Granholm, said Wednesday afternoon that state officials expect the project to go forward but have not approved its application.

"Fifth Mafia" also may lose one of its top actors, Joe Mantegna. Giambalvo said Mantegna, star of TV’s "Criminal Minds," is signed to appear in the movie but may have to be replaced because of scheduling conflicts.

Other cast members include Armand Assante, Ray Liotta and James Van Der Beek.

Thanks to Dawson Bell