Without a state film commission North Dakota loses “Fargo” TV production to Canada

Some local officials say they are disappointed that a TV version of the Oscar-winning movie “Fargo” is not going to be made in Fargo.

The FX Network said the primary production of the 10-episode miniseries based on the Coen brothers 1996 classic will be shot in Canada, most likely Alberta or Manitoba.

Charley Johnson, president and CEO of Fargo-Moorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau, said he’s not surprised by the move because of Canada’s tax incentives to attract foreign film and television productions.

“I was afraid they might want to shoot it in Canada,” Johnson said.

FX spokesman John Solberg told The Forum newspaper that although most of the series will be shot in Canada, specific filming locations have not been determined.

“Nothing’s been finalized in terms of physical locations,” Solberg said.

North Dakota does not have an active film commission or offer tax credits to attract the production of movies and TV shows, said Sara Otte Coleman, state tourism director.

“It’s one of those games that you can’t get into without the ‘go big or go home’ mindset,” Otte Coleman said. “We’re talking millions of millions of dollars in order to compete with locations like Canada, and a few other places in the U.S. that have gone after it pretty aggressively.”

Though the movie’s story is mostly based in Minnesota, it made Fargo a household name for many across the country — and upset some of the locals who didn’t immediately like the parody. But most residents have since warmed up to the promotional benefits.

The film starred Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson, a pregnant police chief who investigates a series of murders, and William H. Macy as a car salesman who hires two criminals, played by Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare, to kidnap his wife. In one of the final scenes, Stormare feeds Buscemi’s body into a wood chipper, which is now on display at the city’s primary tourist center.

The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards. Details of the TV show have not been released.

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