
January 16, 2025
Steven Spielberg will direct an upcoming UFO movie, tentatively called 'The Dish,' that will film scenes in Cape May County in March. Extras are needed to serve as train passengers and car drivers.
Director Steven Spielberg is headed to New Jersey to film his next alien-themed movie and needs extras for scenes to be shot in Cape May County in March.
The film, tentatively titled "Dish," is slated to come out next year and will have a star-studded cast featuring Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colman Domingo, Eve Hewson and Colin Firth. The movie is being produced by Universal Pictures and Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, the outfit behind classics like "E.T." and "Jurassic Park."
A casting call issued Wednesday by Grant Wilfley Casting in New York seeks "Cape May locals" to appear as passengers at a train station and drivers in cars. The casting call describes the film with the code name "Non-View," although documents shared by Universal Pictures at last year's IMAX Investor Presentation refer to the project as "The Dish."
The scenes are tentatively slated to be shot March 10-14 in Cape May. No acting experience is necessary to be an extra, but applicants must be at least 18 years old. Extras will receive $216 for an 8-hour day on set. Transportation and hotel accommodations will not be provided.
Grant Wilfley Casting did not provide the specific location for the shoot. "The Dish" is expected to film scenes in New Jersey and Georgia during its production. Universal Pictures reportedly is targeting a May 2026 premiere date.
The screenplay for "The Dish" was written by David Koepp, known for "Jurassic Park" and "Mission: Impossible," but few details are known about the premise of the movie. Spielberg's most recent movies were the realistic dramas "The Fabelmans" and "West Side Story." His alien-themed films over the years have included 1977's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and 2005's "War of the Worlds." The last time Spielberg ventured into sci-fi territory was with 2018's "Ready Player One."
In addition to "The Dish," World of Reel reported in December that Spielberg also will direct a film adaptation of novelist John Scalzi's "Old Man's War" series.
"The Dish" is the latest high-profile movie to film scenes in Cape May County. The recently released Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown" filmed scenes last year at Cape May's Washington Street Mall, Congress Hall and the Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal. Grant Wilfly Casting also handled casting for "A Complete Unknown," which was directed by James Mangold.
People interested in being extras for "The Dish" can email Grant Wilfly Casting and include their names, pronouns, phone numbers, dates of availability and whether they are members of the SAG-AFTRA union. They also should state whether they are local to Cape May County. Non-professional face and full-body photos are required for consideration. Those seeking to portray drivers should include a photo of their vehicle along with a description including the car's color, make, model and year.