Spielberg’s back to shoot haunted house film here
STEVEN Spielberg has returned to Ireland to shoot a horror – his first film here since Saving Private Ryan.
The Turning is being filmed in Kilruddery Estate, Co. Wicklow.
The chiller starring Finn Wolfhard, of It and Stranger Things fame and is being directed by Floria Sigismondi. But Spielberg is understood to be on site and is heading the project, according to the Wicklow Voice.
It is a modern version of Henry James’s celebrated 1898 novella, The Turn Of The Screw.
Spielberg shot scenes for the Oscar-winning Saving Private Ryan in Co. Wexford in 1997.
Though Spielberg visited Daniel Day-Lewis in Wicklow prior to shooting Lincoln in the US, he has not used Ireland as a filming location in more than 20 years.
Spielberg has Kilruddery House and Gardens under strict lockdown and the crew has been asked to sign non-disclosure agreements. No-one is allowed onto the set without prior clearance, adding to the already strict security.
Spielberg’s production company, Amblin Entertainment, is producing the project.
The Turning follows a young governess who is hired to look after two orphans following the deaths of their parents.
The woman becomes convinced the country mansion they live in is haunted.
Director Ms Sigismondi is best known for writing and directing The Runaways, starring Kristen Stewart.
She also directed music videos for multiple stars including Justin Timberlake, Rihanna and Katy Perry.
Spielberg has won two Academy Awards and received five other nominations. He is the highest-grossing director in the world, as the unadjusted gross of all Spielberg-directed films exceeds €7billion worldwide.
Built in 1651, Kilruddery House has been a popular location for many movies and TV shows, including The Tudors, Camelot and My Left Foot.
A representative from the estate, which has also hosted a number of music festivals, could not be reached for comment.
Estate is on strict lockdown