Is Massachusetts Becoming the New 'Hollywood East?'

It appears that Massachusetts is becoming the new hub for major film productions. In late 2020, Don’t Look Up filmed in Fall River, with fireworks drawing the attention of much of the SouthCoast. The sci-fi film is led by stars Leonardo Dicaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, and Massachusetts native and Captain America himself, Chris Evans.

Also filming in Massachusetts is Showtime’s revival of Dexter in the form of a 10-episode mini-series. Production will begin at the end of January and continue all the way through July. The revival was announced by Showtime in October 2020.

The original Dexter aired from 2006 to 2013, with Michael C. Hall has the titular character. Hall told The Daily Beast that giving Dexter a new ending has always appealed to him.

"Let’s be real: people found the way that (the) show left things pretty unsatisfying, and there’s always been a hope that a story would emerge that would be worth telling. I include myself in the group of people that wondered, ‘What the hell happened to that guy?’" Hall said. "So I’m excited to step back into it. I’ve never had that experience of playing a character this many years on.”

While we know that Hall is slated to reprise his role, it is unknown whether other actors, like Jennifer Carpenter, David Zayas, C.S. Lee, or James Remar, another Massachusetts native, will appear.

It will be filmed in Gardener, Lancaster, Sterling, and Worcester.

In 2018, Gardener served as a major filming location for the second season of Hulu’s series Castle Rock. Castle Rock is an anthology series based on the work of New England author Stephen King.

Showtime's revival could mean more big-name productions coming to film in New England, which only means more excitement for us.