Lovely Bones crew hits Queenstown

The Peter Jackson juggernaut has rolled into Queenstown, with about 100 crew in the South Island resort to film the Wellington director's latest Hollywood blockbuster, The Lovely Bones.

Production spokesman Matthew Dravitzki, of WingNut Films, confirmed the crew had a week-long shoot of visual-effects elements around the region.

The Lovely Bones, which is based on an Alice Sebold novel, stars Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz and Susan Sarandon.

The production company was tight-lipped about which, if any, of the stars were in Queenstown.

Dravitzki said because much of Jackson's Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings trilogy was shot around Queenstown, it was hard not to think about locations for The Hobbit, to be produced by Jackson.

"However, we're concentrating on The Lovely Bones on this trip."

The thriller is about a young girl who was raped and murdered, watching from heaven how her death affects her family.

It is expected to be released in the US in October next year.

Department of Conservation Wakatipu area spokesman John Roberts said WingNut Films had a permit to film in several locations but the details were part of a private commercial agreement.