We take a look at the productions currently being filmed in the UK and Ireland.
Festival season is sadly behind us, but awards season is just around the corner and some of the biggest films of the year are still to be released. UK and Irish film studios are busy working to meet deadlines and actors up and down the country are running lines, getting make-up done and shivering on night shoots.
We take a look at some of the projects filming over the next few months here in the UK and Ireland.
1. ‘Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part II’
The Mission Impossible franchise is coming to an end after first appearing in cinemas back in 1996 when the world was introduced to Tom Cruise as secret agent Ethan Hunt. The grand finale is being split into two halves with Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I due to be released in 2023, as Part II continues to film at Leavesden Studios in Watford until December 2022.
The jam-packed cast includes Spotlight members Simon Pegg and Hayley Atwell starring alongside Vanessa Kirby, Rebecca Ferguson, Pom Klementieff and Nick Offerman. Directed by Christopher McQuarrie and cast by Mandy Marin, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I & II is going to be the action-adventure to look out for!
2. ‘Wicked’
The highly-anticipated movie musical adaptation of the beloved Broadway and West End musical is filming at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire until the end of the year. Directed by In the Heights filmmaker Jon M. Chu, Wicked has a cast built up of superstar talent from the likes of pop sensation Ariana Grande as Galinda the Good, musical theatre mogul Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Bridgerton heart-throb Jonathan Bailey taking on the role of Fiyero.
Cast by Tiffany Little Canfield and Bernard Telsey and produced by Universal Pictures, Wicked is being made in two parts with part one due to be released for Christmas 2023.
3. ‘Kin’ (Season 2)
Kin (Season 2), is the sequel to the highly-acclaimed first season that was released in 2021 on RTÉ (Ireland) and AMC+ (USA). The gritty drama, directed by Ciaran Donnelly and Peter McKenna, is being filmed in Dublin and tells the story of a family living in the city who get caught up in gang warfare and question the strength of family. Cast by Thyrza Ging and Louise Kiely, and starring Charlie Cox, Claure Dunne, Aidan Gillen and Emmett J Scalan, the show has yet to get a release date but it’s one worth watching out for.
4. ‘Mickey 17’
Written and directed by Parasite and Snowpiercer creator Bong Joon-Ho, the plot for Mickey 17 is strictly under wraps but the cast has recently been announced. Casting took place in the UK by Spotlight member Jessica Ronane and in the US by Francine Masley and sees actors Robert Pattinson, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo, Noami Ackie and Steven Yeun busy filming at Leavesden Studios this Winter.
Mickey7 is due to be released in 2023 by Warner Bros.
5. ‘The Beekeeper’
Action movie star Jason Statham leads the cast for David Ayer’s The Beekeeper, which is currently filming in London. The Beekeeper tells a story brimming with universal themes and is engrossed in the mythology of beekeeping. Cast by Spotlight member Daniel Hubbard and his team in England’s capital, Statham is supported by castmates Josh Hutcherson, Jeremy Irons, Emmy Raver-Lampham and Bobby Naderi.
6. ‘The End We Start From’
Directed by Mahalia Belo and cast by Shaheen Baig, Spotlight members Jodie Comer and Benedict Cumberbatch star alongside Katherine Waterston and Mark Strong in The End We Start From, a film adaptation of Megan Hunter’s novel of the same name.
Currently filming in and around London for BBC Films, The End We Start From tells the story of London falling victim to torrential flooding amidst an ecological crisis with new mother (Comer) fleeing the city for northern ground in this intense survival story.
7. ‘Blitz’
Steve McQueen directs this anthology of stories combined into a dramatic film set in London during the bombings of World War II. Filming began in London at the start of November and stars Saoirse Ronan, with more details about the rest of the cast still to be announced. Although we know very little about Blitz so far, we can expect great things from the London-born filmmaker who gave us the masterpieces of 12 Years a Slave and Small Axe.
8. ‘Our Man from Jersey’
When a regular construction worker from New Jersey is recruited by his high-school ex-girlfriend and thrust into the world of secret agents and spies, he finds himself amidst a high-security mission to protect US intelligence.
Currently filming in London and Italy until the end of the year, the explosive action film Our Man from Jersey was cast by Dixie Chassey and Sheila Jaff and stars Hollywood stars Mark Whalberg, Halle Berry, J.K Simmons and Jackie Earl Haley.
Directed by Julian Farino who has brought the likes of Entourage and The Office to our screens, we can be sure to expect some exciting action in Our Man from Jersey.
This exciting mix of films coming to the big screen over the next couple of years is a reminder of the hard work and dedication to the industry that we see on our shores. We look forward to 2023 and what the next year of films will bring, whether it’s at your local cinema or in the comfort of your own home!
Read more about film, including our list of 10 ‘Ones to Watch’ from the BFI London Film Festival 2022 and how to transition from stage to screen work.
Photo credit: ipopba / iStock
