Providence Becomes a WWII Film Set for New Netflix Drama

Film crews are back in Providence this month, shooting scenes for an upcoming Netflix movie set during World War II.

Actors, cameras and several vintage cars were spotted on the East Side of Providence this week as Brown University's historic football stadium on Elmgrove Ave became the set for The Mosquito Bowl.

Though most scenes for this new feature were shot in Queensland, Australia, Brown's 100-year-old stadium was the star of Wednesday's filming in the Ocean State.

What is The Mosquito Bowl?

The new Netflix film is based on the true story of top American college football players putting their sport aside to enlist in the Marines after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It will follow the stories of four players in particular played by Nicholas Galitzine (The Idea of You), Bill Skarsgård (Nosferatu), Ray Nicholson (Smile 2), and Tom Francis (You Season 5).

The script uses Buzz Bissinger's best-selling novel The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II and is being directed by Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights).

READ MORE: History of Taunton World War II POW Camp

The big game mentioned in the title was played on Christmas Eve 1944 as several Marine divisions of prominent college football players were training in Guadalcanal.

Why Netflix Chose Providence For Filming

While Rhode Island won't be representing the jungles of that island in the Pacific, it will be featured in what we assume are prewar scenes.

Wednesday saw the streets outside Brown University's football stadium lined with prewar vehicles. Considering the building's exterior remains the same as it appeared when built in 1925, it's the perfect location for college football scenes in the early 1940s.

When the Netflix Film Will Be Released

Military scenes started filming overseas in Australia back in August and Netflix expects to release the WWII film in late 2026 or early 2027.