Wonka film stars may head to Bath
Residents have been keeping their eyes peeled for Hollywood stars as filming of a major new Warner Brothers movie moved to Bath this week.
Rumours suggested that star of Call Me By Your Name, Timothee Chalamet, may be coming to the city to shoot scenes for Wonka as he takes on the role of Roald Dahl’s famous character.
Permission has already been granted for the production company, which plans to film in both Parade Gardens and the Colonnades, it is understood.
The movie tells the story of a young Willy Wonka before he opens the chocolate factory that features in the Roald Dahl novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Other famous faces set to appear in the movie include Oscar-winner Olivia Coleman and comic pair Rowan Atkinson and Matt Lucas, but it is unconfirmed which actors will be filming in Bath.
Shooting for the film has already started and remarkable photos show the historic Cobb
Harbour in Lyme Regis completely transformed. Details for shooting in Bath were revealed in a letter to residents and businesses.
Narrow Mark Films Ltd said the cameras would roll from 1pm to 11pm yesterday and today.
Parade Gardens closed on Tuesday to allow the crew to create a wintery landscape, reopening this Saturday.
Stop-and-go traffic controls are in place on Grand Parade and Pierrepont Street to carry out some temporary traffic holds.
The letter to Bath locals says: “This is required so that we don’t see any modern vehicles drive
past the garden when the camera is rolling. We will have a footpath closure in place on the garden side of these streets too.
“There will also be a lane closure on North Parade to assist with the essential positioning of a generator on that road to facilitate the filming.
“The crew will also need to set up three cherry pickers with lights for the nighttime scenes, but noise will be kept to an absolute minimum.”
The long-awaited prequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will be directed by Paul King, of Paddington fame, and produced by Warner Bros Studios.