WHILE the lockdown has been terrible news for the city, the quiet streets have proved perfect for filmmakers who have taken over part of Oxford city centre.
A cast and crew of about 150 people worked around the clock, filming at Exeter College, the Examination Schools and the Museum of Natural History for a production codenamed ‘Tailspin’ - though believed to be a drama actually called Suspicion for the streaming service Apple TV by the writer of Die Hard and The Fugitive, and starring Uma Thurman.
Trucks following orange location signs carrying the initials ‘TS’, parked in Radcliffe Square and a large lighting rig erected in Brasenose Lane to illuminate Exeter’s dining hall. They left yesterday.
Among those to puzzle over the production was film fan Julia Atkinson of Happy Cakes bakery in Summertown. She said: “I was surprised to stumble across filming in the city centre. The security guard I spoke to said there was a cast of 150 so it’s obviously a major production. They were all wearing face masks and it looked very organised.”
A similarly-sized crew commenced filming on a production of the same name in Devon late last year, written by Jeb Stuart, who has worked with Harrison Ford, Bruce Willis, Tommy Lee Jones and Dennis Quaid.
The Film and Television Industry Alliance describe Tailspin as the story of five people, who wake up one morning to find themselves implicated in a ruthless kidnapping operation following the disappearance of the Iranian Defence Minister.
The plot is said to be identical to that of Suspicion - fuelling rumours that Thurman was in the city.
Read more: What does 2021 hold for live theatre and music in Oxford?
No cast announcements have been made though local people have been employed as extras.
Filming is scheduled to continue in the UK until July with producers Rachel Kaplan and Peter Traugott.
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