March 18th 2025

Some South Jersey residents have gotten a taste of Hollywood as filming has commenced for famous director Steven Spielberg's latest movie.

Residents of Woodbine and Tuckahoe took to social media at the start of the month to document crews rolling out to work on the movie. It's to star Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth and Colman Domingo, according to the entertainment publication Variety.

(Filming shuts down a road in Tuckahoe)

"I live in Tuckahoe, a quarter mile down the road from where they are filming the new Steven Spielberg movie. Tuckahoe is usually a quaint and quiet town," resident Rebecca Thomas said.

"Having such a big presence with such a high-profile director has been very exciting. It has brought a boost in the economy from the cast and crew. My family is so excited to watch our small town on the big screen."

In January, Grant Wilfley Casting called on South Jersey locals to play train passengers and car drivers in Spielberg's new film.

While details of the untitled film seem to be under lock and key, buzz about the movie from publications such as Variety peg it as a UFO movie with a May 2026 release date.

Filming a UFO movie in New Jersey may sound fitting after many in the Garden State reported recent sightings of mysterious, drone-like flying objects.

Spielberg, 78, is well-known for his numerous blockbuster hits such as "Jurassic Park," "E.T." and "Jaws." The Hollywood staple also has ties to South Jersey, spending part of his childhood in Camden County.

In 2023, Camden County commissioners honored Spielberg in a placard ceremony at the site of the former Westmont Theater.

Per a press release at the time, it was believed that the theater, approximately four-blocks from Spielberg's elementary school, was where his passion for film and cinema began. The filmmaker lived in Haddon Township with his family during his childhood, taking part in the local Cub Scouts troop and attending Thomas Edison Elementary School.

The Jersey Shore was also recently a backdrop for the Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown" starring Timothe?e Chalamet and Elle Fanning.