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Town House Books in St. Charles.
Downtown St. Charles is getting its Hollywood moment.
A Netflix film crew will be shooting at Town House Books on Tuesday (9/29). City documents list the film’s name as "Big Red," describing it as a romantic comedy based on a book.
The description lines up with Netflix's adaptation of "Better Than the Movies," which is reportedly filming in the Chicago area this fall. Productions often use code names for movies to avoid drawing large crowds to the set, so "Big Red" could possibly be the working title for that film.
Here's what to know:
What’s happening Tuesday: City documents show that the crew will spend the morning filming at a cemetery in Elgin before heading to St. Charles around 2PM. In the meantime, set decorators will begin prep work at Town House Books at 7AM. Filming is set to wrap around 8PM, with cleanup done by midnight. Approximately 80 crew vehicles are expected.
The actual movie: If it is indeed "Better Than the Movies" being filmed, it’s based on Lynn Painter's bestselling young adult novel. It began filming in Chicago on Sept. 3 and is scheduled to wrap Oct. 21, according to What's on Netflix.
Who's in it: Beatrice Kitsos (“Percy Jackson and the Olympians”) plays the lead, alongside David Iacono ("Jurassic World Rebirth"), Judy Greer, and Luke Kirby. Julia Hart, who also directed Netflix's "Don't Say Good Luck," is the director.
Don't expect to stream the movie soon; What's on Netflix predicts a release in summer or fall 2027.
Mayor Clint Hull closed the City Council meeting discussion with this: "We hope the film crew eats at downtown restaurants."
Get more info on page 50 of this City Council agenda packet.
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