'Holland, Michigan' filmmakers scale back local scenes, won't shoot downtown
HOLLAND — A thriller set in Holland has scaled back local filming, opting to shoot limited footage at Windmill Island Gardens instead of staging a parade downtown, according to the Grand Rapids Business Journal.
Filming is currently scheduled for April 24, rather than a full week of shooting. The announcement comes weeks after organizers received thousands of applications from West Michiganders interested in being extras.
More:Tulip Time-centric film starring Nicole Kidman will film in Holland in April
“Nothing will be shot downtown,” said Tulip Time Executive Director Gwen Auwerda. “So, local businesses aren’t involved.”
Mayor Nathan Bocks is still looking forward to the extra publicity, hoping the movie may put Holland on the map in a new way.
“I’m anticipating (there) are a lot of people that are going to watch this movie and say, ‘I want to go visit that place,’” Bocks told GRBJ. Assistant City Manager Matt VanDyken told the publication he expects filming at Windmill Island Gardens to lead to a boost in tourism.
Fellinlove Farm, which announced in January it had been approached for a feature in the film's parade, told GRBJ it still expects to appear in the film, but said contact with filmmakers has been minimal.
Nicole Kidman will star in and produce “Holland, Michigan," — directed by Mimi Cave — alongside "Succession" star Matthew Macfadyen and actor/producer Gael García Bernal, according to Deadline. Kidman is teaming up with Amazon Studios under Kidman’s Blossom Films, and will produce with Per Saari.
Set in Holland during Tulip Time, the film is described as a darkly humorous Fargo-esque thriller about a school teacher who suspects her husband may be a serial killer. The script got buzz in 2013 when it topped the "Black List," Hollywood's list of the best unproduced screenplays as voted on by movie executives.
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"Holland, Michigan," was written by Andrew Sodroski, writer and producer of the true crime series "Manhunt."
Jude Hill, Rachel Sennott, Lennon Parham, Isaac Krasner and Jeff Pope are also expected to appear in the film, which will utilize guidance from Auwerda and her team on the patterns and designs of Dutch costumes and the intricacies of Dutch Dance.
Bocks told GRBJ he's also interested in being involved.
“I have made it very clear to the production people through our staff that the mayor is very, very interested in being part of (the film),” he said. “We’ll see what happens."
— Contact reporter Evan Sasiela at esasiela@sentinel-standard.com. Follow him on Twitter @SalsaEvan.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: 'Holland, Michigan' filmmakers scale back local scenes, won't shoot downtown
