Fantasy

Renegade Nell (2024)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Louisa Harland as Nell is stood in a muddy woodland clearing. Behind her is an ornate gold and blue carriage, its contents strewn on the ground. She is wearing a white shirt, red trousers, brown boots, a long tan coat and a black hat. She is holding a pistol in her hand and is looking off into the distance.

Renegade Nell © Disney

Writer: Sally Wainwright
Starring: Louisa Harland, Nick Mohammed, Joely Richardson, Adrian Lester
Production Company: Lookout Point, Walt Disney Television
Kent Locations Used: Dover Castle, Penshurst Place

Renegade Nell (2024) is an 8-part fantasy series for Disney+. Wrongly accused of murder and forced to steal to keep herself and her younger siblings alive, Nell Jackson soon finds herself unwittingly becoming the most famous highwaywoman in the country.

Written by Sally Wainwright (Happy Valley, Gentleman Jack), the cast is headed up by Louisa Harland (Derry Girls, The Deceived) as Nell Jackson. Also starring are Nick Mohammed (Christopher Robin (2018), Ted Lasso) as Billy Blind, Joely Richardson (The Rook (2019), Nip/Tuck) as newspaper magnate Lady Eularia Moggerhanger, and Adrian Lester (Trigger Point (2022), Hustle) as Nell’s nemesis the Earl of Poynton.

Filming for the series took place at Dover Castle and Penshurst Place.

Dover Castle is a stunning medieval castle and keep with WWII  tunnels.,It is situated on the White Cliffs of Dover looking out over the English Channel. Recent productions to have filmed there include Summerland (2020) and Into the Woods (2015).

Penshurst Place is a 14th Century Manor House with preserved interiors, including the unique medieval Baron’s Hall as well as eleven acres of Elizabethan walled gardens. Previous productions using this location were The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses (2016), Wolf Hall (2015), and Mary Queen of Scots (2018).

Renegade Nell (2024) will be released on Disney+ on Friday 29th March 2024.

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

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, Poison, The Rat Catcher & The Crown (2023)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Benedict Cumberbatch as Henry Sugar floats above the floor in a meditative position. He wears red pyjamas and is in a bedroom with wooden walls, wooden floor and several wooden tables.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023) © Netflix

Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Rupert Friend, Ben Kingsley, Dev Patel, Richard Ayoade
Production Company: American Empirical Pictures, Netflix Studios
Kent Locations Used: Maidstone Studios, Powerhub

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, Poison, The Rat Catcher and The Swan (2023) are a selection of short films based on The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More, a collection of short stories by Roald Dahl.

Directed by Wes Anderson (Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Grand Budapest Hotel), the films star Benedict Cumberbatch (The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2022), Doctor Strange (2016)), Ralph Fiennes (Holmes & Watson (2018), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010)), Rupert Friend (The Death of Stalin, Hitman: Agent 47), Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, Schindler’s List), Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire, Lion) and Richard Ayoade (The IT Crowd, Submarine).

The shorts were filmed at The Maidstone Studios almost in their entirety, with set and prop construction taking part in nearby Kent locations. The hospital set in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023) was filmed at the nearby Powerhub.

Just 45 minutes from London, Maidstone Studios is the UK’s largest independent studios. They are classed as a regional studio facility and have been home to some of the industry’s best-loved television programmes over the years. Most recently, it played host to Season 2 of This Time With Alan Partridge (2021), Series 2 of The Split (2020) and Series 2 and 3 of Hetty Feather (2015-2020).

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, Poison, The Rat Catcher and The Swan (2023) were released on Netflix on Wednesday 27th September 2023.

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

The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself (2022)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Three characters stand in a misty wood. On the left stands a woman with long brown hair. She is wearing blue jeans, a red baggy hoody and a green stripy crop top. The man in the middle has short black hair and wears black tracksuit trousers, a dishevelled white t-shirt and a black oversized jacket. His hand is wrapped in a bandage. The man on the right had silver hair and wears black cargo trousers, a black trench coat, grey t-shirt and several silver necklaces.

The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself © Netflix

Writer: Joe Barton
Director: Colm McCarthy
Starring: Jay Lycurgo, Nadia Parkes, Isobel Jesper Jones, Emilien Vekemans
Production Company: Imaginarium Productions
Kent Locations Used: Port of Ramsgate and Ramsgate Royal Harbour

Based on the ‘Half Bad’ series of books by author Sally Green, The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself (2022) is a young adult tale about a sixteen-year-old boy called Nathan, who is the illegitimate son of the most powerful and cruel Witch in the world. Monitored all his life by those who wish to stop him from following in his father’s footsteps, Nathan soon begins to question the rules that have been imposed on him. In a world where one is either a “Good” Witch, or a “Bad” Witch, Nathan must discover what kind of person he truly is.

Directed by Colm McCarthy (The Girl with All the Gifts, Black Mirror: Black Museum), and with Andy Serkis (Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) as an executive producer, The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself stars Jay Lycurgo (Titans, Cheaters) as Nathan, Nadia Parkes (The Spanish Princess, Domina) as Annalise, Isobel Jesper Jones as Jessica and Emilien Vekemans as Gabriel.

The production visited the Port of Ramsgate and the Royal Harbour of Ramsgate during filming of the eight-episode series for Netflix. Both locations feature in Episode 4,  doubling as the French harbour where Nathan, Annalise and Gabriel walk through a magic portal into Paris. The Port of Ramsgate is set on 32 acres of dedicated port land and is often used as a ‘stand-in’ for film and TV as the Port of Dover. Other productions that have filmed here include the SKY crime-drama series The Tunnel (2013) and, more recently, the Acorn TV crime-drama series Whitstable Pearl (2021-2022).

Ramsgate has the only Royal Harbour in the country, decreed by King George IV in 1821 due to his fondness of the friendly locals he met there. Often used as a double for London, Ramsgate is a popular filming location, with previous productions such as the BBC comedy series Not Going Out (2013) making use of the marina, and the Netflix crime-drama series Top Boy (2019-2022) using the iconic Jacobs Ladder steps in the harbour, as well as several other locations within the town.

The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself was released on Netflix on Friday 28th October 2022.

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

Doctor Strange (2016)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Dr Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) with a light effect through his hands

Dr Strange © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures UK

Writer: Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill

Director: Scott Derrickson

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams, Mads Mikkelsen, Tilda Swinton, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor

Production Company: Marvel Studios

Kent Locations Used: Northfleet

Dr Strange film poster

Dr Strange © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures UK

Doctor Strange is a feature film based on the Marvel comic about a neurosurgeon who is injured in a car accident that ruins his career. As the Doctor (Benedict Cumberbatch) sets out on a journey of healing, he instead finds himself protecting the world from inter-dimensional threats.

Scott Derrickson (Sinister, The Day the Earth Stood Still) directs and also co-writes the screenplay with C. Robert Cargill (Sinister, Sinister 2).

Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, The Imitation Game) stars as Doctor Stephen Strange with a supporting cast including Rachel McAdams (Mean Girls, The Notebook), Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale, The Hunt), Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Chronicles of Narnia), Benedict Wong (The Martian, Prometheus) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave, Children of Men Luke).

The Doctor Strange production team visited Northfleet where the industrial shoreline land was used to stage the stunt sequence at the beginning of the film where Dr Strange loses control of his car.

Northfleet a town North West in the Gravesham Borough of Kent and has excellent transport links being close to the M25 and Ebbsfleet International Train Station. The Gravesend area has previously welcomed filming from The Interceptor (2015), Don’t Tell the Bride (2013) and Canterbury Tales – The Seacaptain’s Tale (2003).

Doctor Strange is released in cinemas on 25th October 2016.

Links:

For more information about filming in Kent please contact: filmoffice@kent.gov.uk

For more information on the film visit: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1211837/

For more information on Gravesend: http://www.visitgravesend.co.uk/

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map: https://kentfilmoffice.co.uk/kent-movie-map/moviemap-live-2/

 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 2010

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe running through a dark forest. Film title Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is in silver underneath

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 movie poster © WarnerBros

Director: David Yates

Writers: Steve Kloves (screenplay), J.K. Rowling (novel)

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Rhys Ifans, Bill Nighy, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall and Julie Walters

Production Companies: Warner Bros., Heyday Films

Kent Filming Locations:  Dartford Crossing

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 is the seventh instalment of the popular Harry Potter series based on the novels by JK Rowling. The story follows Harry racing against time to destroy the Horcruxes, Lord Voldemort’s secret to immortality. During his pursuit he uncovers the existence of the three most powerful objects in the wizarding world: the Deathly Hallows.

With an A-list British cast, including those who grew up on the film set, Daniel Radcliffe(The Woman in Black), Rupert Grint (Wild Target), Emma Watson (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), Tom Felton (Rise of the Planet of the Apes); and veteran actors such as Michael Gambon (The King’s Speech), Maggie Smith (Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Ralph Fiennes (Schindler’s List) and Helena Bonham-Carter (Les Misérables).

The Dartford Crossing became part of movie history in 2010 when it was used for the scene where Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane)  and Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) race through the toll road and tunnel on a flying motorbike, being chased by Death-Eaters. At the end of the scene, as they take to the air, make sure you spot the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge in the background!

The Dartford area  has been used for filming by productions including London Spy (2015), Hummingbird (2013) and The Inbetweeners (2010).

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 was released in cinemas in November 2010 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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

Inkheart (2008)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Silvertongue reading to a young Meggie. Both on green armchairs with a table in between them. Bookshelves can be seen behind.

Silvertongue played by Brendan Fraser reading to a young Meggie © Entertainment Film Distributors Ltd 

Director: Iain Softly

Starring: Helen Mirren, Brendan Fraser, Eliza Bennett, Jim Broadbent, Paul Bettan

Production Company: New Line Cinema, Internationale Filmproduktion Blackbird Erste

Kent locations used: Hever Castle

Based on the best selling novel by Cornelia Funke, Inkheart is about Mo ‘Silvertongue’ Folchart (Brendan Fraser – The Mummy) who has a special gift when reading aloud: the characters come to life. One night, he unknowingly brings to life three characters from a novel entitled Inkheart who kidnap him. Now it is up to Mo’s daughter Meggie (Eliza Bennett – Nanny McPhee) and her great-aunt Eleanor (Helen Mirren – The Queen) to rescue him from the cruel dictator Capricorn (Andy Serkis, Lord of the Rings) and return the characters back to the pages of Inkheart. Alongside her real and fictional friends, Meggie learns the importance of family and having a place to call home.

Andy Serkis holding the Inkheart book staring at the camera

Andy Serkis in Inkheart © Entertainment Film Distributors Ltd. Photo: Close Murray

Helen Mirren wearing a red headscarf with her hands clasped together under her neck

Helen Mirren © Entertainment Film Distributors Ltd. Photo: Close Murray

Directed by Iain Softly (Hackers, The Skeleton Key) and featuring an all-star cast, Helen Mirren (Calendar Girls, The Queen) Brendan Fraser (George of the Jungle, Journey to the Center of the Earth), Jim Broadbent (Bridget Jones’s Diary, Moulin Rouge!) Paul Bettany (A Knight’s Tale, Wimbledon) and Eliza Bennett (The Prince and Me, Nanny McPhee).

Hever Castle was used for three weeks for the filming of Inkheart, transforming the historical site into the Italian lakeside home of Great Aunt Elinor as the historical home of Anne Boleyn and the beautiful Italian gardens complete with a lake were ideal for this family-orientated fantasy film.

Hever Castle is a thirteenth century Tudor castle near Edenbridge, Hever which was originally the home of the Boleyn family. Hever Castle is a popular filming location with its stunning Italianate gardens, beautiful lake and a mock Tudor village.  Hever Castle has also be used for other productions such as  Walking through History (2013),  The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) and Anne of a Thousand Days (1969).

Inkheart was released in cinemas in December 2008 and can now be bought on DVD.

 

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

The Golden Compass (2007)

Posted on by Kent Film Office

 

Nicole Kidman bending down with her hand underneath Dekota Blue Richards's chin. Both staring at each other.

Nicole Kidman as Mrs Coulter and Dekota Blue Richards as Lyra © 2007 Laurie Sparham/New Line Cinema

Director: Chris Weitz

Writer: Philip Pullman (novel), Chris Weitz (screenplay)

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards, Ian McKellen

Production Company: New Line Cinema, Ingenious Film Partners, Scholastic Productions, Depth of Field

Kent Locations: The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Adapted from the novel Northern Lights, first in Philip Pullmann’s best-selling His Dark Materials trilogy, The Golden Compass is about orphaned tomboy Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards) lives with her uncle Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) in a world where people’s souls manifesrt as animal companions called daemons.

When Lyra’s friend, Roger, is kidnapped by Gobblers, she vows to rescue him. Help comes in the shape of an offer from the enigmatic Mrs Coulter (Nicole Kidman) and the priceless gift of an alethiometer, a golden compass. This device answers truthfully to any question it is asked, but first Lyra must learn how to decipher its mysterious symbols.

 

Behind the scenes image at The Historic Dockyard, Chatham- prop crates and barrels up against the building,

Behind the scenes image at The Historic Dockyard, Chatham © Visit Kent

  

Behind the scenes image at The Historic Dockyard, Chatham with props barrels and crates

Behind the scenes image at The Historic Dockyard, Chatham © Visit Kent
 

Dakota Blue Richards walking up a wooden ship plank towards the camera.

Dakota Blue Richards as Lyra at the docks © 2007 Laurie Sparham/New Line Cinema

  

Daniel Craig staring at the camera in a suit with men sat around a table behind him

Daniel Craig stars as ‘Lord Asriel’ © 2007 Laurie Sparham/New Line Cinema

The sequence The Landing of Lyra and the Gyptians at the fictional Norwegian port of Trollesund was filmed at the Historic Dockyard Chatham . When Lyra first disembarks at the town of Trollesund, she did, in fact, step straight into the dockyard, where the Mast Houses and Mould Loft were dressed to look like the town’s harbour. CGI mountains were added to the background to create the illusion that the town has a fjord setting.

The meeting between Lyra and Lee Scoresby (Sam Elliot) was set in the impressive Slip 3, a great domed space built in 1838 which at the time of its construction was the largest timber structure in Europe.

Philip Pullman’s trilogy was first published in 1995 and won critical acclaim in the form of the coveted Carnegie Medal for Children’s fiction. The novels draw their inspiration from Milton’s Paradise Lost and like Harry Potter; have attracted their fair share of controversy.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham boasts a variety of buildings with period features ranging from Georgian to Victorian, right up to modern day and is becoming a popular film location and has been used by productions such as Sherlock Holmes (2009), Oliver Twist (2007) and Children of Men (2006).

The location is in the care of the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, an independent charity whose task is to restore and preserve this important part of Britain’s national heritage.

The Golden Compass was released in cinemas in 2007 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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

Finding Neverland (2004)

Posted on by Kent Film Office

 

Main actor Johnny Depp crouched down in a white shirt staring up at a child who is dressed as a cowboy.

Johnny Depp seen playing with one of the children ©Finding Neverland (2004)

 

Writer: Allan Knee, David Magee

Director: Marc Forster

Starring: Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie, Radha Mitchell, Dustin Hoffman

Production Company: Miramax, FilmColony, Keylight Productions

Kent Locations Used: Filmed at Laredo Wild West Town in Kent

Renowned playwright James M. Barrie (Johnny Depp) having received bad reviews for his latest play, meets the Llewelyn Davies family when walking his dog to try and clear his mind. Barrie befriends the recently widowed Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (Kate Winslet) and her four adolescent sons, including Peter (Freddie Highmore). Confiding in Sylvia, Barrie discusses his unhappy childhood which may be the reason for his unwillingness to grow up. Creative and childish play with the boys inspires Barrie to write the now classic play ‘Peter Pan’ about a boy who never grows up.

Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands, Pirates of the Caribbean), Kate Winslet (Titanic, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Julie Christie (Away From Her) and Dustin Hoffman (Rain Man) head the cast, introducing Freddie Highmore as Peter.

Filming in various places in the UK. Production shot a short fantasy sequence at the Laredo Wild West Town. The town features in multiple fantasy playing sessions set in the Wild West, when Barrie (Johnny Depp) plays with the Llewellyn Davies boys.

Laredo Wild West Town is tucked away in the North Kent countryside and has previously featured in cult tv series Red Dwarf – Gunmen of the Apocalypse (1993).

Finding Neverland was released in UK Cinemas on 29th October 2004.

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

The Princess Bride (1987)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
The Princess Bride film poster- cartoon image of characters from the film underneath a castle gate in blue mist. The Princess Bride written in yellow.

The Princess Bride © Lionsgate Home Entertainment

Directed by: Rob Reiner

Written by: William Goldman

Starring: Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Parinkin, Chris Sarandon, Fred Savage, Peter Falk and Andre the Giant

Production Company: Act III Communications, Buttercup Films Ltd., The Princess Bride Ltd.

Kent Locations used: Penshurst Place

Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) and Count Rugen (Christopher Guest) duelling in a hall next to a long wooden table with food on it. Candles are in the background behind them.

Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) and Count Rugen (Christopher Guest) duelling © Lionsgate Home Entertainment

The Princess Bride is cult fantasy film, based on the 1973 book of the same name, written by William Goldman. A stable boy named Westley (Cary Elwes) confesses his love to an enchanting woman named Buttercup (Robin Wrigh) but their happiness is cut short when Westley is reportedly murdered by blood thirsty pirates. Fearing that her love will never return, Buttercup becomes engaged to a cruel king and they plan to wed. However, as the wedding ceremony begins, so does an invasion of the castle by an unlikely trio of men. Will there be a happy ending after all?

This film is a unique and daring spin on the classic fairy tale formula, complete with sword fights, damsels in distress, magic potions and heroic heroes.

The films cast includes  Cary Elwes (Twister, Saw), Robin Wright (Forest Gump, Beowulf), Mandy Parinkin (Homeland, Dead Like Me) Chris Sarandon (The Nightmare Before Christmas, Childs Play), Fred Savage (The Wonder years, Little Monsters), Peter Falk (Columbo, Murder Ink) and Andre the Giant (WWF, Conan the Destroyer).

Production visited Penshurst Place and used the Barons Hall as the setting for the confrontation between Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) and Count Rugen (Christopher Guest). Penshurst Place is a grand estate located in the Weald of Kent with extensive grounds spanning 48 acres. Due to its medieval architecture, the house and grounds are a popular filming location and have previously been used in The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), the BBC fantasy series Merlin (2008), and thriller movie The Gathering (2003).

The Princess Bride was first released in November 1987 and is now available to buy on DVD.

 

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