Red, White & Royal Blue (2023)

Posted on August 4, 2023 by Kent Film Office

Taylor Zakhar Perez as Alex Claremont-Diaz, the son of the US President, sits next to Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Henry. The two are both dressed in formal wear and are gazing happily into each other’s eyes.

Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine in Red, White & Royal Blue (2023) © Amazon Prime Video

Director: Matthew López
Starring: Nicholas Galitzine, Taylor Zakhar Perez, Uma Thurman
Production Company: Amazon Studios, Berlanti Productions
Kent Locations Used: Private house in Sevenoaks

Based on the 2019 novel of the same name, Red, White & Royal Blue (2023) is an enemies-to-lovers rom-com about the forbidden romance between the son of the President of the United States and the Prince of England. If their secret affair comes to light, it could have irreversible political consequences.

Directed by Matthew López (The Newsroom), the series stars Nicholas Galitzine (Cinderella, Purple Hearts) as Prince Henry of England, Taylor Zakhar Perez (The Kissing Booth 2, Minx) as Alex Claremont-Diaz, the son of the President of the United States and Uma Thurman (Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Pulp Fiction) as Alex’s mother, the United States president Ellen Claremont.

The production filmed at a private house in Sevenoaks, which doubles for the Claremont-Diaz vacation house in Texas.

Sevenoaks has a varied landscape, featuring a bustling high street, stately homes and castles, as well as beautiful countryside. Recent productions to have filmed there include PRU (2022), The Larkins (2021-2022), and Whitstable Pearl (2021-2022).

Red, White & Royal Blue (2023) will be released on Amazon Prime on Friday 11^th August 2023.

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2022)

Posted on December 27, 2021 by Kent Film Office

Benedict Cumberbatch, as Louis Wain, stands on a pebble beach, wearing sunglasses and looking off into the distance with a row of colourful houses in the distance. Cumberbatch, dressed in white trousers, navy blazer and blue and white striped t-shirt stands to the left with three women sitting on wooden stools with wooden easels in front of them to the right of the frame.

Benedict Cumberbatch, Stacy Martin, Sharon Rooney and Aimee Lou Wood in The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2022) on Walmer Beach, Deal © StudioCanal

Writer: Will Sharpe, Simon Stephenson
Director: Will Sharpe
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy, Andrea Riseborough, Aimee Lou Wood, Toby Jones
Production Company: Amazon Studios, Film4, Shoebox Films, StudioCanal, SunnyMarch
Kent Locations Used: Botany Bay, Kingsgate Bay, Deal, Walmer, Kingsdown Leas

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2022) is a biopic of the English painter who rose to fame at the end of the 19th century. Known for his unique paintings of anthropomorphised cats, Wain suffered from poor mental health in his later years and was hospitalised when his family could no longer care for him.

Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange, Sherlock) stars as the titular character Louis Wain, with Claire Foy (The Crown (2016 – 2023), A Very British Scandal (2021)) portraying the love of his life, Emily. The film also features Andrea Riseborough (Luxor, The Grudge), Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education (2021)), Toby Jones (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Christopher Robin) and Sharon Rooney (My Mad Fat Diary, The Tunnel: Vengeance (2017)). The film was written and directed by Will Sharpe (Defending the Guilty, Flowers) alongside writer Simon Stephenson (Eleventh Hour, Paddington 2).

Various scenes were shot on the Kent coast, including at Botany Bay and Kingsgate Bay in Thanet, Kingsdown Leas, Deal seafront and the Coast House B&B in Walmer, Deal.

Botany Bay in Thanet is a popular filming location in Kent. The sandy bay is set against a beautiful white cliff backdrop which is popular with tourists. Previous productions to have made use of this stunning location include Sulphur and White (2020) and Series 2 of Humans (2016).

Kingsgate Bay is a small sandy bay surrounded by chalk cliffs that connects at low tide through Whiteness cliff arch to Botany Bay. The Victorian Kingsgate Castle is perched on top of the sea defences; it has since been turned into private residences. Other productions to have filmed at Kingsgate Bay include True Things (2022), Mr Selfridge (2013-2016), and Bhikari (2017).

Deal is a town on the south coast of Kent with a long naval history as one of the major Cinque Ports. Deal’s seafront has a large green, promenade, small fishing fleet, huts, sailing boats, lifeboat station as well as an extensive pebble beach. Liar Series 1 & 2 (2017 – 2020) and Baptiste (2019) both recently filmed here.

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain was released in UK cinemas on Saturday 1^st January 2022.

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.

A Very British Scandal (2021)

Posted on December 25, 2021 by Kent Film Office

Claire Foy, as the Duchess of Argyll, stands in the centre of the frame looking directly at the camera. Behind her is a grey-brick building. On her left, right and at the bottom of the frame stand three photographers, pointing large old-fashioned cameras directly at her. Foy has dark brown slicked-back hair and blue eyes. She wears a purple blazer with matching hat and thin veil over her face, a grey fur coat held around her midriff, light grey gloves, a pearl necklace, bracelet and earrings, and a dark grey clutch bag. She also wears bright red lipstick.

Claire Foy in A Very British Scandal © BBC

Writer: Sarah Phelps
Director: Anne Sewitsky
Starring: Paul Bettany, Claire Foy, Jonathan Aris
Production Company: Amazon Studios, Blueprint Pictures
Kent Locations Used: Kent & East Sussex Railway

A Very British Scandal (2021) depicts the story of events surrounding the notorious divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll during the 1960s.

Claire Foy (The Crown Series 1 – 6 (2016-2023), Wolf Hall (2015)) stars as Margaret, Duchess of Argyll while Paul Bettany (Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), WandaVision) stars as Ian Campbell, Duke of Argyll. The three part miniseries also features Jonathan Aris (Grantchester, The End of the F***ing World (2017)), was written by
Sarah Phelps (The Pale Horse, The White Princess) and directed by Anne Sewitsky (Monsterland, Black Mirror).

Production visited Tenterden’s Kent & East Sussex Railway to film the opening scene where Margaret and Ian Campbell meet for the first time on The Golden Arrow Boat Train from Paris.

The Kent & East Sussex Railway is a ten and a half mile rural railway from Tenterden to East Sussex. The Kent and East Sussex Railway has provided location services for a variety of film and television productions over the years including Richard E. Grant on Ealing Comedies (2016) and the opening shot of Downton Abbey (2010-2013) series one, episode one when a steam train travels through the countryside. A more recent production to film on the railway is Paul O’Grady Great British Escapes.

A Very British Scandal began airing on Sunday 26th December 2021 on BBC One and all episodes are available to watch on iPlayer.

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.

The Aeronauts (2019)

Posted on October 29, 2019 by Kent Film Office

A man standing in a hot air balloon looking over the countryside with a women sitting high up on the edge of the balloon looking out into the distance.

The Aeronauts ©IMDb

Writer: Tom Harper
Director: Tom Harper
Starring: Felicity Jones, Eddie Redmayne, Himesh Patel
Production Company: Amazon Studios, Mandeville Films
Kent Locations Used: The Historic Chatham Dockyard Ropery

In The Aeronauts (2019), a fictionalised account based on some real events set in the 1860s, fictional pilot Amelia Wren (Felicity Jones) and historical meteorologist James Glaisher (Eddie Redmayne) find themselves in an epic fight for survival while attempting to make scientific discoveries in a hot air balloon.

The film is written and directed by Tom Harper (Electric Dreams, The Woman In Black 2: The Angel of Death), and stars Felicity Jones (Star Wars: Forces of Destiny, The Theory of Everything), Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything, Fantastic Beasts), and Himesh Patel (Yesterday, Damned).

Production visited The Historic Dockyard Chatham for filming at No. 3 Slip 3 Mezzanine to film a scene in a balloon factory.

“When presented with a brief to find a balloon factory location there was really no other choice than The Historic Dockyard in Chatham. There are very few places left with an authentic Georgian timber structure that have stood the test of time.

No 3 Slip is the real deal with the added benefit of the film friendly aspects of the Dockyard filming team who are very welcoming with an easy can-do attitude,” commented Christian Huband, Production Designer, The Aeronauts.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham is a historic tourist attraction on the site of a former Royal Naval Dockyard and has been the location for several recent productions set in the Victorian period including Year of the Rabbit (2019), Peterloo (2018) and Vanity Fair (2018).

The Aeronauts will be released in UK cinemas on Monday 4th November 2019.

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.

King Lear (2018)

Posted on May 23, 2018 by Kent Film Office

Portrait shot of character King Lear sitting on a chair with his three daughters by his side in the palace. Background is black and white chequered floor with black wall panels.

Director: Richard Eyre

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, Emily Watson, Florence Pugh, Jim Broadbent, Andrew Scott, John Macmillan, Jim Carter, Christopher Eccleston, Tobias Menzies, Anthony Calf and Karl Johnson

Production Company: Playground Entertainment, Amazon Studios and BBC

Kent Locations Used: Dover

King Lear is a modern-day adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play of the same name. The film tells the tragic story of King Lear (Anthony Hopkins) who abdicates his throne in favour of his two corrupt daughters Regan (Emily Watson) and Goneril (Emma Thompson), rejecting his loving and honest third daughter Cordelia (Florence Pugh) when she fails his test of flattery.

Director, Richard Eyre, has previously worked on films Notes on a Scandal, Iris, and Stage Beauty. Anthony Hopkins who plays King Lear, is best known for his role in The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, and Hitchcock. Emma Thompson as eldest daughter Goneril, was previously in Love Actually and The Remains of the Day.

Scenes were filmed in various locations in Dover, such as at Dover Castle, Samphire Hoe, and Abbot’s Cliff.

King Lear will air on Monday 28 May 2018 at 9:30pm on BBC Two.