Hollywood is coming to Niagara-on-the-Lake to make its small-town charm the backdrop to an upcoming romantic comedy film set to be released next year by 20th Century Studios, owned by the Walt Disney Company.
Shooting for the film adaptation of the romantic novel “Beach Read” begins this week in Old Town and is set to continue until mid-to-late June.
The project, currently under the working title “Happily Ever After,” stars Phoebe Dynevor as a romance novelist alongside Patrick Schwarzenegger, a college rival and literary fiction author she reconnects with following her father’s death.
The film will see the two authors, both suffering from writer’s block, become next-door neighbours after retreating to a small-town lake house community. They challenge each other to take on the other’s literary genre and write a novel by the end of the summer, leading to a blossoming romance and the confrontation of their deepest secrets, fears and hopes.
Dynevor is best known for her work in Netflix’s highly popular Regency-era romance series “Bridgerton,” while Schwarzenegger, son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, starred in the latest season of HBO’s black comedy series “The White Lotus” and opposite Collin Firth in HBO’s crime drama miniseries “The Staircase.”
Notable actors and actresses attached to the film include Kevin Bacon, Andie MacDowell, Kristin Davis and Tig Notaro.
Director Yulin Kuang is spearheading the project and co-wrote the film with Emily Henry, author of “Beach Read,” published in 2020. The two collaborated on “People We Meet on Vacation,” a film adaptation of Henry’s 2021 novel of the same name, released on Netflix in January.
NOTL shooting in Old Town began this week. Filming will take place in the Chautauqua neighbourhood on June 16, with intermittent traffic stops and production vehicles and film equipment to occupy various streets on the 15th and 16th.
In parts of Old Town, accommodations have been made to allow the film’s crew to use their spaces for vehicles and equipment.
At the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 124 on King Street, spokesperson Chrystal Haverstock says production company TCST Productions will block off a significant portion of the parking lot from June 9 to June 20, parking its transportation vehicles and trucks there for the duration of the shoot.
However, drivers will still be able to access the front of the Legion to drop off visitors, as well as navigate around the building to find parking on King Street.
“This is an exciting opportunity for the Legion to raise some extra funds,” she said. “It’s a short-term pain for a long-term gain.”
This will impact the Legion’s Thursday fish fry nights and Wednesday food truck supper markets, she said, when it sees its most visitors of the week.
Those evenings, Haverstock will run a shuttle service in her personal vehicle, allowing people to park their cars at the NOTL Community Centre and taking them to and from the Legion.
Parking at the Fort George National Historic Site will also be occupied, though not all of it. Spokesperson Julia Grcevic said while Parks Canada has agreed to provide additional parking in support of the production, the lot will still be available to visitors.
“The production will utilize overflow space in the adjacent field, ensuring minimal impact to public access,” she said.
The fort’s daily visiting hours will not be affected.
“Welcoming a production of this scale not only contributes to the local economy but also offers an opportunity to showcase the unique character and beauty of Niagara-on-the-Lake to audiences around the world,” she said.
This isn’t the first time NOTL has played host to a film production: it’s accommodated several movie shoots, including David Cronenberg’s “The Dead Zone” with Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen, 2003’s “The Recruit” with Al Pacino, Colin Farrell and Bridget Moynahan and 2009’s “Amelia” with Richard Gere, Hilary Swank and Ewan McGregor, along with holiday and romance movies like “Christmas Inheritance,” “That Old Feeling” and “The Ref.”
