PREVIOUSLY

• Film Set to Shoot in Eureka is From Renowned Director Paul Thomas Anderson, With Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn and Regina Hall, According to Industry Reports
• (PHOTOS) Hollywood Magic Transforms Cutten Plaza Into a Mexican Mini-Mall for DiCaprio Movie Production
• Northtown Arcata Will Be Swarming With Movie Folk Tomorrow, As Bigtime Production ‘BC Project’ Films in the Neighborhood
• (WATCH) First Look at Leonardo DiCaprio In Character for New Paul Thomas Anderson Film Currently Filming in Humboldt
• MOVIE DAY! My Diary of Hanging Around Waiting For The Stars to Show Up In Northtown, and the Things I Saw There

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Well, that was fun!

Hollywood came to Humboldt for 11 days, bringing one of the industry’s most revered auteurs and one of its biggest stars. 

Crowds gathered outside the Murphy’s in Cutten and flocked to Northtown Arcata hoping to get a glimpse of Leonardo DiCaprio and/or Paul Thomas Anderson, and with at least one notable exception, they were not disappointed. 

via GIPHY

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Much remains unknown about the Warner Bros.-produced film, which is going by the working title “BC Project,” but a few online sources are now going so far as to “confirm” what has long been suspected: that the movie will be an updated adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel “Vineland,” which largely took place in a fictionalized version of Humboldt County.

In addition to confirmed stars DiCaprio, Sean Penn and Regina Hall, more cast members were revealed today by The Hollywood Reporter and other sources: Teyana Taylor (“A Thousand and One”), Wood Harris (TV’s “The Wire”), Shayna McHayle (“Support the Girls”), newcomer Chase Infiniti and, most excitingly for this reporter, Alana Haim, who made her magnetic film debut in Anderson’s last feature, “Licorice Pizza.”

The Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commission today issued the following press release

That’s a wrap! The feature film known as the BC Project wrapped [locally] yesterday after 11 days of filming on the redwood coast.

“They are still wrapping out of some of the locations and area in general, so you might still see a truck or two, but filming is now complete,” expressed Cassandra Hesseltine, the Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commissioner.

The film commission was first notified by the location team for the studio feature film in April of 2019. “We are honored to have been on their radar for all these years and for the project to finally come to fruition,” stated Hesseltine. The location department is usually our first point of contact and the last one to leave town.

Hesseltine was honored to work with such a high caliber of individuals on the location team for the film as they have all worked on well-known projects (i.e. Transformers, Westworld, Inception, Captain Marvel, Interstellar, The Dark Knight Rises, and more).

It’s still in the early stages for the economic impact details on the spending within the region but it is apparent that the Warner Brothers movie brought a sizable outside dollar amount during our off season. The area not only benefited from economic impact during filming but as the production scouts, preps, and wraps out. Numerous locals were hired as cast and crew as well as vendors of all kinds were necessary to supplement the production. 

“This is especially important during our off season as restaurants and hotels benefited during the slowest time of the year. The same amount of spending by a production in July is way more impactful in January when we do not have an influx of travelers already in town,” stated Hesseltine.

Filming on the Redwood Coast not only brings in outside dollars to the community but also impacts the region in other ways. Long after the films and productions have left, the Film Commission focuses on film tourism which is known to sometimes bring in more outside dollars to an area than the original filming.

With the new programs launched last year, Redwood Coast Museum of Cinema and Forest Moon Festival, the Film Commission has researched why filming and film tourism is important to our area. “It’s not just about the money. It’s about quality of life for the people who live here, the experience that one feels viscerally when seeing the giant trees for the first time after watching the speeder chase scene throughout your childhood, and the pride we feel when we get to brag that something as special as our favorite movie filmed here,” beams Hesseltine. “Life can be challenging and there are all kinds of ways it can be difficult. It’s nice to work in an industry that can help make you feel good for a minute while reeling on this rock through space. Good times!”

The Film Commission would like to thank the community for helping to host a production of this size that was in the public eye. “We could not have done it without all the film friendly locations, government partners, businesses, vendors, and individuals who help make the redwood coast shine. The production has not stopped talking about how beautiful the area is, how kind the people are, and how they can’t wait to come back for other projects,” Hesseltine declares. 

The Film Commission states that more information regarding the economic impact, details of the production’s filming in the region, and release date will come at a later time.