It is not Halloween, but I could not help getting a bit excited when I heard that there may be a zombie movie filmed in Cape Town soon. Apparently, it is the 6th installment in a “well-known franchise”, which may or may not be Resident Evil.
This is not the first end of the world movie to be shot here either. Dredd was filmed here not too long ago (the image above shows a scene in progress in the City Centre). In 2007, scenes from Doomsday were filmed in Cape Town. “The landscape, the rock formations, I thought it was about as close to Scotland as you’re likely to get, outside of Ireland or Wales,” said director, Neil Marschall during an interview when discussing shooting scenes for this film. Then there was also an African zombie movie called Last Ones Out that was shot here too last year. This zombie movie premiered at Cannes 2015.
Cape Town Film Production is Big News
As far as movie destinations go, the Mother City is a favourite for Hollywood flicks (horror and otherwise) as well as series. Among the many celebrities who have filmed here are Boris Kodjoe, who recently left after falling in love with South Africa; Leo DiCaprio, who has visited a number of times on holiday too; Daniel Radcliffe from Harry Potter fame; Ryan Reynolds and many others. With its incredible scenery, mild weather and beautiful landscapes, it is no wonder that Cape Town film locations are always in high demand.
A full list of movies filmed in Cape Town in this century alone includes the following:
- Dredd (2012 – Karl Urban, Lena Headey)
- Safe House (2012 – Denzel Washington)
- Dark Tide (2012 – Halle Berry)
- Chronicle (2012 – Dane DeHaan)
- Invictus (2009 – Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman)
- Amelia (2009 – Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor)
- 24: Redemption (2008 – Kiefer Sutherland)
- Cavegirl (2008 – Thora Birch)
- Doomsday (2008 – Rhona Mitra, Bob Hoskins)
- Oliver Cromwell (2008 – Dominic West)
- Rendition (2007 – Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal)
- Hitman (2007 – Timothy Olyphant)
- Ask the Dusk (2006 – Colin Farrell, Salma Hayek, Donald Sutherland)
- Blood Diamond (2006 – Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connolly, Arnold Vosloo)
- Catch a Fire (2006 – Tim Robbins)
- Lord of War (2005 – Nicholas Cage, Bridget Moynahan, Jared Leto)
- Slipstream (2005 – Sean Austin, Ivana Milicevic, Vinnie Jones)
- Wake of Death (2004 – Jean-Claude van Damme)
- The Piano Player (2002 – Christopher Lambert, Dennis Hopper)
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According to media reports, we can add a zombie film to this list later this year, too. Have you spotted in celebrities filming in Cape Town? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below and tell us why you love the idea of Cape Town as a film destination.
