Crew and security staff are keeping mum about a Hollywood blockbuster starring stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn being filmed in downtown San Juan Bautista.
Filming on the film, now known only as “The BC Project,” began Feb. 25 and was scheduled to resume several days this week in the historic downtown. The big stars in the cast were presumably on set, but they were elusive as onlookers gathered and security guards tightly surrounded the filming and production areas.
According to local residents, production crews have been in town for several weeks prior to filming.
On February 26, throngs of fans and local residents came to meet or catch a glimpse of the movie’s stars, including the night scene in front of the San Juan Bautista Plaza Hotel, which was cordoned off. They gathered outside the production area.
Local resident Kenny Holthaus showed up Monday night in downtown San Juan Bautista, where the shooting was taking place. He said he grew up on a ranch there and still lives there.
“I remember when Hollywood came here to film Vertigo around 1954-55,” he said. “I met Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak, the stars of this movie. And I met Alfred Hitchcock. That was a pretty big deal. I also built some of the bricks. , was hired to perform refurbishment work on the mission.”
Very few details are known about “BC Project,” its plot, or release date. A truck associated with the film parked in downtown San Juan Bautista was emblazoned with the Warner Bros. logo.
According to IMDb.com, “The BC Project” is directed and written by Paul Thomas Anderson and stars DiCaprio, Penn, Teyana Taylor and Wood Harris. Anderson is known for directing “Boogie Nights,” “There Will Be Blood,” and other successful Hollywood films.
The IMDb page adds, “The plot is kept under wraps.”
San Juan Bautista City Manager Don Reynolds told media earlier this week that hotels in and around the historic town have been booked for several weeks, possibly in connection with filming for “The BC Project.”
