Members of the Patrick-Murrray Administration traveled to Los Angeles last year to make a sales pitch to bring more film and television to Massachusetts.
A movie called 'Labor Day' starring Kate Winslet, left, and Josh Brolin, is scheduled to be filmed partially in Massachusetts.Hollywood star light is about to shine down once again on Massachusetts, perhaps even on a Franklin County town near you.
The office of Gov. Deval Patrick announced this week that the commonwealth will be the setting for the movie “Labor Day,” starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin. Directed by Jason Reitman, who has films such as “Young Adult” and “Up in the Air” to his credit, “Labor Day” is based on a novel of the same name by Joyce Maynard.
Michael Agulnek, a spokesman for Paramount Pictures, said Wednesday that he is not at liberty to say that the movie is about or where, exactly, the scenes will be shot. However, at a recent Board of Selectmen meeting in Shelburne, an official with Greenfield Saving bank said construction on a bank branch in that town would be delayed because the movie company was looking at that site for filming. A casting call for girls and boys ages 10-17, including for the role of a mentally handicapped boy, went out earlier this month.
According to an on-line synopsis, Maynard’s novel is about a 13-year-old boy named Henry who lives a stagnant life with his mother, Adele, in the fictional New Hampshire town of Holton Mills. Adele, a former dancer, has long been divorced and is keeping a terrible secret.
When a mysterious bleeding man named Frank comes to Henry seeking help, the boy’s life changes. One reviewer called the novel “a tale of love, sex, adolescence and devastating treachery.”
Members of the Patrick-Murrray Administration traveled to Los Angeles last year to make a sales pitch to bring more film and television to Massachusetts. Lisa Strout, the director of the Massachusetts Film Office, said she is excited that the commonwealth has been chosen for another movie project.
“The combination of our strong incentive program, our experienced crew and talent, and our rich and textured landscape help draw meaningful projects such as this to Massachusetts,” she said.
P3 Update Magazine has ranked Massachusetts among the top ten film locations worldwide. In 2011, feature films shot in this state generated $222 million for the local economy, according to the Massachusetts Film Office.
In 2008, scenes for the Mel Gibson movie “Edge of Darkness” were shot in Northampton. Few of them made the final cut, however, and the movie tanked at the box office. The Alex Baldwin move “Malice” (1993) and “In Dreams,” starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Annette Bening (1999) met a similar fate. On the plus side, Michael Caine was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 1999 film “Cider House Rules,” some of which was shot at the former Northampton State Hospital.
The 2010 movie “The Woman,” which was filmed in Greenfield and was heavy on cannibalism, came out last October but has not made the rounds of local theaters.