HOLLYWOOD is coming back to Dorset as preparations are made to film another blockbuster in the county.
It is understood to be Warner Bros and the Roald Dahl Story Co’s upcoming movie ‘Wonka’ which will be filmed in Lyme Regis next month.
Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet has been cast as the main character, Willy Wonka.
The film is a brand-new adaptation based on the characters created by children’s author Roald Dahl for the beloved novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The prequel, to be directed by Paul King, will focus on a young Willy Wonka and his adventures before he opened his famous chocolate factory.
While plot details are currently as mysterious as the chocolate factory, it is believed that the scenes set to be filmed in Lyme will feature a snow scene on the Cobb with a steam drifter.
The historic Lydia Eda, a restored floating museum based in Great Yarmouth, will be used for the scenes showing a passenger steamer bringing a young Willy Wonka to England.
The vessel is currently at West Bay and is expected to head over to Lyme this week. Filming will reportedly take place over two days in mid-October.
Wonka will be the third major movie to be filmed in Lyme Regis over the last three years.
The town and beaches provided the scenic backdrop for the local famous fossil hunter Mary Anning, played by Oscar-winner Kate Winslet, for the movie Ammonite in 2019.
In June this year, Dakota Johnson filmed a number of scenes for a new adaption of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, a film that is predominately set in the historic seaside town.
Apart from numerous other productions, Lyme was famously the setting of the Oscar-nominated 1981 movie The French Lieutenant's Woman starring Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons.
'Any filming is good for the area and the town' - Excitement as film crews to come to Lyme Regis
The town's mayor Brian Larcombe welcomed the film crews coming back to Lyme after the resort 'enjoyed a terrific summer' due to the 'high numbers' of tourists and daytrippers.
He said: "This film is yet another one in a long line of films which does promote the town and gives it the publicity so we no longer need to advertise.
"Lyme is well known across the UK as well as parts of Dorset."
Harbourmaster James Radcliffe was pleased to hear of another major production coming to film in the area.
Mr Radcliffe, who assisted TV crews in West Bay for filming of ITV’s Broadchurch, said: “Any filming is good for the area and the town.
“West Bay definitely benefitted from the filming of Broadchurch.
“It is good for the town, it will attract visitors and that can only be good for the area.”
Council keen to encourage more high end productions in the area
Dorset Council has previously welcomed filming crews to the county and it believes high-profile films could spark a tourist boom in certain areas.
A Dorset Council spokeswoman said: “Dorset Council is keen to support the creative industries and welcomes requests from production companies wanting to film in the area.
“In recent years for example, our harbour offices and parking teams have helped to facilitate major Hollywood films such as Dunkirk and Ammonite at Weymouth and Lyme Regis, and high end TV dramas such as Broadchurch at West Bay.
“We do this because we recognise the huge benefits these high profile projects can bring to Dorset, in terms of helping to boost tourism and to generate income for local people and indeed the council.
“While these production opportunities can be lucrative, they tend to be rare. We receive many more applications from small production companies with limited budgets and it is currently our policy not to charge crews who are producing documentaries or educational materials.
“We are keen to encourage more high end productions in the area, but there have been recent challenges which both the creative industries and the council have had to overcome, not least Covid-19.
“As we start to recover from the effects of the pandemic we are looking at how we can best promote the assets we have and make Dorset the best location for filming to take place.”
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