Published: 8/25/2017 7:16:05 PM
ORANGE — Crews working on “Castle Rock,” an upcoming series based on the works of Stephen King, were back in Orange this week, returning to town to shoot scenes for the series’ second episode.
Police officers helped guide traffic through the intersection of South Main and East River streets, where professionals set up shop on Thursday for scenes filmed in and around one of the two 15,000-square-foot brick buildings belonging to Gary Moise, who owns the Orange Trading Co. Filming was done on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Location manager Alex Berard said on Thursday he could not disclose the content of the scenes being filmed, though more filming was slated for Ball Street later in the day. He said a new episode is filmed every two weeks. Some filming is done at New England Studios in Devens. Hulu, a subscription video-on-demand service, has ordered 10 episodes of “Castle Rock,” an original suspense/thriller.
Carts of equipment and supplies packed the sidewalk across the street from the Post Office and crew members buzzed around making sure the operation was running smoothly. Equipment consisted mostly of trunks and cases, one of which was labeled “Period Eyewear.”
One of the brick buildings was rebranded as Schwall Wooden Mill Co., while the other was temporarily called the Katahdin Thread & Dye Co. A Jeep Grand Wagoneer with “Sweet Chariot Taxi” written on the sides sat parked in the intersection.
Castle Rock is a fictional town in Maine (King’s home state) that the writer has used in much of his work. According to Hulu, the town has been featured in “Cujo,” “The Dark Half,” and “Needful Things,” as well as the novella “The Body” and other short stories.
Recruited talent includes Melanie Lynskey, perhaps most known for playing Rose on the sitcom “Two and a Half Men,” André Holland, from the Academy Award-winning film “Moonlight,” Sissy Spacek, famous for her role as the title character in the 1976 film adaptation of Stephen King’s “Carrie,” and Jane Levy, who starred in the ABC comedy series “Suburgatory,” have also signed on.
Kevin Kennedy, the director of community development and planning for Orange, has said film crews will be in town off and on until January 2018.
“Castle Rock” is being produced by Warner Bros. Television and Bad Robot, the production company of J.J. Abrams, creator of “Lost,” “Felicity” and director of the films “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Mission: Impossible III.”
A teaser for the series can be viewed online at: hulu.tv/2rBi7hF.