Hollywood comes to Harrogate

Hollywood is coming to Harrogate, the Advertiser can reveal, with scenes for a $25million blockbuster to be filmed in the town.
NADV 1407151AM4 Montpellier Hill. (1407151AM4)NADV 1407151AM4 Montpellier Hill. (1407151AM4)
NADV 1407151AM4 Montpellier Hill. (1407151AM4)

Sam Worthington, of Avatar fame, will star in dramatic action movie Hunters Prayer to be part-filmed in Harrogate next month.

This is the second huge boost for Harrogate in the year the Tour de France helped put the town on the map.

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Location manager Matt Bowden said director Jonathan Mostow, who made Terminator 3, loved Harrogate.

He added: “The director loves the location, they all love Harrogate. Hopefully, this will lead to more and more filming.”

Harrogate was chosen for its ‘European look’ and Montpellier Street and Montpellier Mews will be transformed into a Swiss street next month, for a dramatic car chase shoot out.

He added: “The hope is we won’t have to dress the street too much and it will still be recognisable.”

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Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said it is ‘incredible’ to have a major movie like Hunters Prayer filmed in Yorkshire.

“More and more film-makers are falling in love with Yorkshire, and it’s easy to see why. The county is a living set that can be the focus or backdrop for virtually any genre of film. It is another way of drawing people’s attention to Yorkshire.”

Swiss signs will be put up and all of the Christmas decorations will be removed to stop any telltale signs of the time of year creeping into shot.

Clare Chalmers, manager of And Hair on Montpellier Mews, said: “The girls are all excited, we are quite looking forward to it. We will be peeking through the windows between clients.”

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The filming will take place overnight on Tuesday and Wednesday, November 18 and 19, and the road will be closed from 5pm until 4am.

Filming will take place across Europe, including in Leeds and across Yorkshire and at a private country residence near Harrogate.

Mike Newby, director of Visit Harrogate, said: “It is always exciting to have famous faces in town.

“Yorkshire is fast becoming a leading location for filming and Harrogate can benefit from that. I can’t think a better location that combines historic streets and rural areas.”

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He added: “The filming itself does bring its own economic boost to the area.”

Film investment company Screen Yorkshire says the filming will bring a huge economic boost to the region.

Chief executive Sally Joynson said: “The real measure of success is the impact the production has in Yorkshire and filming makes a real impact on the Yorkshire economy. Every £1 invested equals £4 to £5 for the local economy.”