February 10, 2023
Apple Studios film crews are scheduled to be in Upper Bucks County next week for two-multi day shoots that will detour roads in Bedminster and Tinicum townships. It appears the streamer may be in the area to film "Sinking Spring," an upcoming crime drama directed by Ridley Scott and Peter Craig, who wrote last year's blockbuster action sequel "Top Gun: Maverick."
PennDOT put out an advisory last week noting that a stretch of Route 113 (Bedminster Road) will be closed for filming from Feb. 14-18 and Feb. 21-23.
A report from Levittown Now cites two unnamed sources with knowledge of the production, who said the filming next week is in connection to "Sinking Spring." The sources said crews are also scouting possible filming locations in Bristol Township.
Attempts to reach Apple TV+ for comment on Friday were not returned. It's unclear what the production schedule will look like moving forward and where else crews may film in the area.
Last September, Deadline reported that "Sinking Spring" will be based on the novel "Dope Thief" by Philadelphia native Dennis Tafoya.
The story follows a group of delinquent grifters from Philly who pose as DEA agents to rob petty drug dealers. When they target a house in the countryside, they become embroiled in the workings of a hidden narcotics network that spans the Eastern seaboard and puts their lives in the crosshairs of a serious enemy out for revenge.
The "Sinking Spring" cast is led by Brian Tyree Henry, the newly Oscar-nominated star of "Causeway" and the FX series "Atlanta," and Amir Arison, who's had a long run playing an FBI agent on NBC's "Blacklist" and recently wrapped a stint on Broadway in "The Kite Runner."
The cast also includes "Better Call Saul" breakout Michael Mando, who played Nacho Varga in the AMC series; Marin Ireland, from Amazon's "Sneaky Pete" and Netflix's "Umbrella Academy"; and Kate Mulgrew from Netflix's "Orange Is The New Black."
The series will be executive produced by Apple Studios and Scott Free Productions, the company led by Scott, the veteran British director of classics such as "Alien," "Blade Runner," and "Thelma and Louise." Scott famously directed Apple's big-budget, George Orwell-inspired "1984" Super Bowl commercial that introduced the world to the Macintosh computer. He's also working on an Apple TV+ feature film, "Napoleon," that will star Joaquin Phoenix as the French military commander.
Tafoya, whose second novel, "The Wolves of Fairmount Park," also is listed as "in development" for a film adaptation on IMDb, will serve as a consulting producer for "Sinking Spring."
The Philadelphia region has enjoyed a recent run of high-profile film and TV projects including HBO's hit crime drama "Mare of Easttown," the Netflix dramas "Concrete Cowboy" and "Hustle" and director M. Night Shyamalan's "Servant" and "Knock at the Cabin," which was filmed in South Jersey's Pine Barrens.
