''Blitz'' is an upcoming
World War II–themed historical drama
A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...
written and directed by
Steve McQueen
Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1 ...
and starring
Saoirse Ronan
Saoirse Una Ronan ( , ; born 12 April 1994) is an American-born Irish actress. Primarily known for her work in period dramas since adolescence, she has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations fo ...
,
Harris Dickinson,
Erin Kellyman
Erin Mae Kellyman (born 17 October 1998) is an English actress. On television, she gained prominence through the Channel 4 sitcom '' Raised by Wolves'' (2015–2016) and the BBC series ''Les Misérables'' (2018), '' Don't Forget the Driver'' (20 ...
and
Stephen Graham
Stephen Joseph Graham (born 3 August 1973) is a British actor. He is best known for playing Andrew "Combo" Gascoigne in the film ''This Is England'' (2006) and its television sequels ''This Is England '86'' (2010), '' This Is England '88'' ( ...
.
Cast
*
Saoirse Ronan
Saoirse Una Ronan ( , ; born 12 April 1994) is an American-born Irish actress. Primarily known for her work in period dramas since adolescence, she has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations fo ...
*
Harris Dickinson
*
Erin Kellyman
Erin Mae Kellyman (born 17 October 1998) is an English actress. On television, she gained prominence through the Channel 4 sitcom '' Raised by Wolves'' (2015–2016) and the BBC series ''Les Misérables'' (2018), '' Don't Forget the Driver'' (20 ...
*
Stephen Graham
Stephen Joseph Graham (born 3 August 1973) is a British actor. He is best known for playing Andrew "Combo" Gascoigne in the film ''This Is England'' (2006) and its television sequels ''This Is England '86'' (2010), '' This Is England '88'' ( ...
*
Paul Weller
Paul John Weller (born John William Weller; 25 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame with the punk rock/ new wave/mod revival band the Jam (1972–1982). He had further success with the blue-eyed soul m ...
*
Kathy Burke
Katherine Lucy Bridget Burke (born 13 June 1964) is an English actress, comedian, writer, producer, and director. She achieved fame with her appearances on sketch shows such as ''French and Saunders'' (1988–1999) and her recurring role as Mag ...
*
Benjamin Clementine
Benjamin Sainte-Clémentine (; born 7 December 1988) is a British composer, musician and actor.
Born and raised in London, England, Clementine later moved to Paris, France, where he experienced homelessness for a time. After moving back to Lond ...
*
Hayley Squires
Hayley Squires (born 16 April 1988) is an English actress and playwright, best known for her work in the Ken Loach film ''I, Daniel Blake''. Squires has also appeared in ''Call the Midwife'' (2012), '' Southcliffe'' (2013), ''Complicit'' (2013), ...
*
Leigh Gill
Leigh Gill is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in '' Game of Thrones'' and '' Joker''.
Filmography
* '' Game of Thrones'' (2016)
* ''Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'' (2016)
* '' Hot Dog '' (2018)
* '' Joker'' (2019)
* ...
* Sally Messham
Production
Development
In October 2021, it was announced that McQueen would write, direct and produce a new feature film entitled ''Blitz'' for
New Regency
Regency Enterprises (commonly referred to as Regency onscreen and copyrighting as Regency Entertainment (USA), Inc. in the U.S. and Monarchy Enterprises S.á.r.l. overseas) is an American entertainment company formed by Arnon Milchan. It was foun ...
, with Lammas Park producing alongside
Tim Bevan
Timothy John Bevan, (born 20 December 1957) is a New Zealand-British film producer, the co-chairman (with Eric Fellner) of the production company Working Title Films.
Bevan and Fellner are the most successful British producers of their era ...
and
Eric Fellner
Eric Fellner, (born 10 October 1959) is a British film producer. He is the co-chairman (along with Tim Bevan) of the production company Working Title Films.
Early life and education
Fellner was born to a Jewish family in England. From 1972 t ...
of
Working Title Films
Working Title Films is a British film studio that produces motion pictures and television programs and is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a division of Comcast. The company was founded by Tim Bev ...
. In March 2022, McQueen confirmed his next project was going to be about Londoners during
the Blitz
The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'.
The Germa ...
of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and that he had discussed this with
Anne, the Princess Royal, as she had awarded him his knighthood at
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history.
The original cast ...
. In June 2022, it was announced that
Apple TV
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...
had picked up the distribution rights. Producers are New Regency's Arnon Milchan, Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer.
Casting
In September 2022, it was announced that
Saoirse Ronan
Saoirse Una Ronan ( , ; born 12 April 1994) is an American-born Irish actress. Primarily known for her work in period dramas since adolescence, she has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations fo ...
would be heading the cast and
Adam Stockhausen
Adam Stockhausen is an American production designer known for his collaborations with Wes Anderson, Steven Spielberg, and Steve McQueen. He's received four nominations for the Academy Award for Best Production Design winning for ''The Grand Budap ...
leading the production design. In December 2022,
Harris Dickinson,
Erin Kellyman
Erin Mae Kellyman (born 17 October 1998) is an English actress. On television, she gained prominence through the Channel 4 sitcom '' Raised by Wolves'' (2015–2016) and the BBC series ''Les Misérables'' (2018), '' Don't Forget the Driver'' (20 ...
,
Stephen Graham
Stephen Joseph Graham (born 3 August 1973) is a British actor. He is best known for playing Andrew "Combo" Gascoigne in the film ''This Is England'' (2006) and its television sequels ''This Is England '86'' (2010), '' This Is England '88'' ( ...
and
Kathy Burke
Katherine Lucy Bridget Burke (born 13 June 1964) is an English actress, comedian, writer, producer, and director. She achieved fame with her appearances on sketch shows such as ''French and Saunders'' (1988–1999) and her recurring role as Mag ...
were added to the cast, along with singer-songwriter
Paul Weller
Paul John Weller (born John William Weller; 25 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame with the punk rock/ new wave/mod revival band the Jam (1972–1982). He had further success with the blue-eyed soul m ...
in his feature film acting debut. Later that month,
Benjamin Clementine
Benjamin Sainte-Clémentine (; born 7 December 1988) is a British composer, musician and actor.
Born and raised in London, England, Clementine later moved to Paris, France, where he experienced homelessness for a time. After moving back to Lond ...
,
Leigh Gill
Leigh Gill is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in '' Game of Thrones'' and '' Joker''.
Filmography
* '' Game of Thrones'' (2016)
* ''Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'' (2016)
* '' Hot Dog '' (2018)
* '' Joker'' (2019)
* ...
, Mica Ricketts, CJ Beckford,
Hayley Squires
Hayley Squires (born 16 April 1988) is an English actress and playwright, best known for her work in the Ken Loach film ''I, Daniel Blake''. Squires has also appeared in ''Call the Midwife'' (2012), '' Southcliffe'' (2013), ''Complicit'' (2013), ...
and Sally Messham was announced in additional acting roles.
Filming
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
began in London in November 2022.
Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden
Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden is an studio complex in Leavesden in Watford, Hertfordshire, in South East England. Formerly known as Leavesden Film Studios and still colloquially known as Leavesden Studios or simply Leavesden, it is a film ...
was used as a base. In January 2023, filming took place close to the
London Waterloo station
Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a London station group, central London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo, London, Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connecte ...
. Later that month, special effect crews simulated bombs hitting the water in the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
in
Wapping
Wapping () is a district in East London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Wapping's position, on the north bank of the River Thames, has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains through its riverside public houses and steps, ...
. Filming also took place in the London borough of
Greenwich
Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
. In February 2023, reports were that the production moved to
Hull's old town with a filming schedule of two weeks.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blitz
Upcoming films
Apple TV+ original films
Films directed by Steve McQueen
Films shot in London
Films set in London
War films
Films about aerial warfare
World War II aviation films
Battle of Britain films