Killer Manatee Movie Will Be Filmed In Tampa Bay Area: Report

TAMPA BAY, FL — A Sarasota production company, Toxic Pictures, plans to film a movie about a killer, mutated manatee terrorizing waters in the Tampa Bay area, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

The horror/comedy, “No Wake Zone,” will be filmed over 13 days in January and February. Filmmakers applied for a $100,000 Hillsborough County film incentive and plan to spend about $800,000 in the county during the shoot.

“Think ‘Sharknado’ with heart, and better-looking locations,” Tyler Martinolich, head of Hillsborough’s film commission, Film Tampa Bay, told the Times. “Silly premise aside, ‘No Wake Zone’ looks to be a fun tongue-in-cheek horror/comedy that is not only going to put locals to work, but show off our beautiful waterways throughout Tampa Bay.”

Read more at the Tampa Bay Times.

While the film focuses on a killer manatee, the creatures are actually “graceful gentle giants,” according to the Ocean Futures Society.

Manatees have developed their “kind and fearless demeanor” because they have no natural predators, according to the Manatee Swim Center. “They have also not developed an elaborate escape response or aggression mechanism, so they tend to handle most situations with an incredible degree of gentleness and respond warmly to people.”

They’re also known for their curious and playful nature and sometimes choose to interact with people, the center said.

The manatee is protected under federal law by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and by the Endangered Species Act of 1973, though.

This “makes it illegal to harass, hunt, capture or kill any marine mammal,” according to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.

They’re also protected under the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978, which makes it illegal, “intentionally or negligently, to annoy, molest, harass or disturb any manatee.”

“Look, but don’t touch manatees,” FWC warned. “Also, don't feed manatees or give them water. If manatees become accustomed to being around people, they can alter their behavior in the wild, perhaps causing them to lose their natural fear of boats and humans, which may make them more susceptible to harm.”