Production crews descended on the city this week to film scenes for Screen Gems' action thriller "Proud Mary", starring Taraji P. Henson with Billy Brown, Jahi Di'Allo Winston, Neal McDonough, Margaret Avery, Xander Berkeley and Danny Glover.
If you've spotted several dozen people gathered around equipment on a sidewalk on Central Street and were wondering, the answer is yes, actress Taraji P. Henson is in Lowell. A Golden Globe winner for her role as Cookie Lyon in Fox's "Empire", Henson will play a contract killer whose maternal instinct is awakened when she meets a young boy. Directed by Babak Najafi, the film is set for release in January 2018.
Filming for the movie, which started yesterday, will continue over the next week at various locations in downtown Lowell and sightings are due to become increasingly common. The most recent one took place Thursday morning while the cast and crew were working smack in the middle of downtown Lowell in front of WCAP studios on Central Street.
By noontime, a few onlookers were hanging out on site, hoping to get a glimpse of the star, while equipment and police detail officers lined the street.
Exterior shooting is scheduled for May 16 on Palmer Street between Middle and Merrimack Streets. This block will be closed to traffic but Middle will remain open as will Palmer from Market to Middle. CASE staff have been coordinating shooting schedules, traffic control, logistical support and street closures with location managers.
Several movie production trailers were setting up on a city lot in the Hamilton Canal District across from 110 Canal Street in preparation for the cast and crew. Lowell's unique sites and neighborhoods make the city a popular place for film production. There has been a number of notable films shot in the city including 'The Fighter', 'The Invention of Lying', and more recently 'Professor Marston & The Wonder Women'.
