10 New Movies You Didn’t Know Were (or Are Being) Shot in SA

As Matthew McConaughey gets spotted in Cavendish Square the past weekend – he’s in the country to shoot a movie – and Cape Town announced it has issued a record number of movie-shooting permits so far in 2016, we list some of the movies being shot or recently shot in SA.

1. The Odyssey (l’Odyssée)

A biopic of underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau, with Lambert Wilson and Audrey Tatou of “Amelie” fame. Local South African actress Chloe Hirschman stars as Jan Cousteau.

The trailer for the movie:

2. The Blue Mauritius

No, it’s not about the island. It’s a thriller caper about five thieves who gather in Cape Town contemplating the theft of a famous stamp. The cast of Eric Dane and John Rhys Davies has been joined by locals Nicola Breytenbach and Pearl Thusi.

3. The Dark Tower

Based on the bestseller by Stephen King, it stars McConaughey and Idris Elba.

4. Resident Evil: The Last Chapter

The successful series starring Milla Jovovich finished shooting its last chapter in 2015, with pivotal scenes filmed in Ponte City, Johannesburg.

5. The Last Face

The story of an affair between two humanitarian workers during a war in Africa, with Charlize Theron and Javier Bardem.

6. Where the White Man Runs Away

Based on the true story of a journalist who tries to find out more about the Somalis hijacking ships in the Indian Ocean. With Evan Peters, Al Pacino and Melanie Griffith.

7. The Brothers Grimsby

Sacha Baron Cohen stars as a pub lout who reconnects with with his long-lost secret-agent sibling (Mark Strong). Expect to see Baron Cohen back again, because he is apparently developing a movie about a white person kidnapped and raised in Africa who then returns to America as an adult. Title is said to be – ahem – “African American”.

8. The Gamechangers

Daniel Radcliffe and Bill Paxton. Set around the legal battle over the Grand Theft Auto video game series.

Watch the trailer for “The Gamechangers”

9. Momentum

With James Purefoy, Morgan Freeman and Olga Kurylenko. Alex, a mysterious thief, is pulled in by her former partner for one last heist. She quickly finds it was never just about the diamonds.

The trailer to “Momentum”:

10. 24 Hours to Live

To be shot in Cape Town from June, the cast includes Ethan Hawke, hip-hop star turned actor Common and Chinese actress Xu Qing.