We’ve said before that we’re not a celebrity gossip blog by trade. This is true, but we’re not also not above a little fanfare when an A-lister pops through town. As movies and TV shows continue to make Hudson County their soundstage, we thought it appropriate to create a comprehensive list of all the projects currently filming in Hoboken + Jersey City, so that fellow pop-culture enthusiasts can stay current on the latest. In the past month alone, JLo, Timothée Chalamet, and Paul Mescal have all been seen in the area — and there’s no telling what celebrity will make a Garden State visit next. We’ll be updating this article whenever necessary. As of April 25th, 2024, keep reading for a list of all the movies and TV shows currently filming in Hoboken + Jersey City.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Last Seen: Liberty State Park, April 27th
Canonically, Apes aren’t set to take over the world at least until the year 3,000, but Jersey City locals at Liberty State Park got a little preview of ape domination this Saturday, April 27th. Three unfriendly apes made their way through the park — atop three large horses — to promote the upcoming movie Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Per Jersey City Times, these primates were in town for a photoshoot in front of the New York City skyline.
The movie is set to release on Friday, May 10th, and takes place nearly 300 years after War of the Planet of the Apes, following “a young ape goes on a journey that will lead him to question everything he’s been taught about the past and make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike,” per IMDb.
Currently Filming
A Complete Unknown
Starring: Timothée Chalamet
Last Seen: Elks Lodge Hoboken, April 24th
On Monday, March 25th, an eagle-eyed Hoboken Girl reader spotted what looked like a film crew at Jersey City’s Miss America Diner — an old-school spot serving classic NJ diner fare at 322 West Side Avenue. A member of the on-site film crew confirmed that the project is A Complete Unknown, the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet.
Per NJ.com, the crew had two late-night shoots at Miss America on March 25th and 26th, before embarking on a Tour De Jersey City Diner. White Mana Diner was the next Jersey City outpost to serve as a film location for the Chalamet-led movie — the famed burger joint on Tonelle Avenue was closed for filming on April 4th.
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On April 12th, Timmy finally made his way to Hoboken, with film crews taking over popular Irish pub Moran’s and Church Square Park on Garden Street. Locals came out in droves to catch the star in action, who strolled the Mile Square streets in an all-black suit and sunglasses around 9PM. The following week, the crew returned to Jersey City, where faux signage already lined the Jersey Avenue strip. The below signage was posted throughout the area.
Yesterday, April 26th, the crew took over Hoboken Elks Lodge at 1005 Washington Street. Filming was also happening a block down on Hudson Street — and though Timmy himself wasn’t seen, a reader did catch a crew members carrying his Bob Dylan guitar.
A Complete Unknown is set in “the influential New York music scene of the early ’60s” and follows “19-year-old Minnesota musician Bob Dylan’s meteoric rise as a folk singer to concert halls and the top of the charts.” The title refers to Bob Dylan’s hit “Like a Rolling Stone,” in which he sings: “How does it feel, how does it feel/To be without a home, like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone?”
Read More: The Bear Star, Jeremy Allen White, In Talks To Play Bruce Springsteen In Upcoming Film
Miller by Marriage
Directed by: Edward Burns
Last Seen: Tenth + Eleventh Streets, April 17th
Photo Credit: HG Reader
Hoboken readers spotted film crews in the early morning of March 26th. Signage on Bloomfield Street + 11th Street indicated that the project is called Miller by Marriage directed by Edward Burns and will be filming in town through April.
The project is, indeed, filming through April. On Wednesday, April 17th, the team was seen filming at Sorellina on 1036 Washington Street.
Putting the movie title into Google won’t arouse much detail — various wedding counseling companies, We’re the Millers quote lists, and unassuming Instagram profiles are all the search engine can generate. Per Patch, the movie is a “Tier 1A Low Budget Feature starting up in NJ.”
Despite its low-budget status, this movie will be one to watch. The director, Edward Burns, is behind fan-favored films like The Brothers McMullen and She’s the One. It’s worth noting that The Brothers McMullen was a low-budget indie film before its meteoric rise to a blockbuster hit. Burns has also acted in 30+ movies and TV shows — including main roles in Saving Private Ryan, 27 Dresses, and more.
The History of Sound
Starring: Paul Mescal, Josh O’Connor
Last Seen: Hamilton Park, April 1st
A big headline for Gen-Zers with high screen time, resident “sad boy” Paul Mescal (who starred in the Salley Rooney-adapted mini-series Normal People) was seen at 10th + Willow in Hoboken on March 5th. Joined by Josh O’Connor (who’s starring beside Zendaya in the upcoming film Challengers), the two are working on a period romance called The History of Sound, which spent a week filming at the Hoboken bar in March.
On Monday, April 1st, the crew was again spotted at Hamilton Park in Jersey City — which checks out, given that the production company is headquartered in Elizabeth, per the NJ Motion Picture + Television Commission.
The History of Sound follows two young men during World War 1, Lionel and David, who set out to record the lives, voices, and music of American countrymen, all the while falling in love. Paul Mescal plays the role of Lionel, and Josh O’Connor plays the role of David. The movie is actively filming in New Jersey, with its release date set for sometime in 2025.
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Starring: Jennifer Lopez
Last seen: Elysian Cafe, March 26th
Several unsuspecting Hoboken Girl readers spotted JLo in Hoboken on the afternoon of March 26th and shared the tea via DMs and email. A surprising sight for any Mile Square resident, Mrs. Jenny from the Block was seen dining at Elysian Cafe, Hoboken’s oldest continuously operating restaurant.
That’s not the last Hudson County will see of JLo, either: her upcoming movie, Kiss of the Spider Woman, is scheduled to begin filming in early April at locations in Jersey City in Kearny.
Per Variety, JLo was first attached to Kiss of the Spider Woman in December 2023. The film is an adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name, written and directed by Dreamgirls filmmaker Bill Condon. “The musical is set in an Argentinian prison in 1981,” Variety reported in December. “Lopez would play the titular role, a fantasy woman named Aurora created by Luis Molina, a gay hairdresser serving an eight-year sentence for allegedly corrupting a minor.”
Beyond the Rush
Starring: Eric Roberts
Last Seen: Basile’s Jersey City, March 26th
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Just last week, Eric Roberts (father of Emma Roberts, sister to Julia Roberts) took to Instagram to gush over Basile’s Pizza in Jersey City: “Most assuredly my favorite pizza (& people) anywhere ever!” The first try was posted upside down — how he managed that is unclear to us — but sentiments in the follow-up remained the same: “Best Pizza Ever.”
Turns out, Eric isn’t just in town for a quick slice. He’s starring in an upcoming movie, Beyond the Rush, alongside Cathy Moriarty, John Savage, and Jayce Bartok. The movie, according to IMDB, follows an investigative journalist “Working undercover to expose a corrupt judge,” as he “confronts his secret past plus his mother’s mental illness and must choose between addiction and obsession or love and redemption.” Eric Roberts will portray the corrupt judge.
NJ Motion Picture + Television Commission has listed Beyond the Rush as filming in Hudson, Essex, and Passaic Counties. According to NorthJersey.com, filming will run until April 5th.
February
Before
Starring: Billy Crystal
Last Seen: 12th + 13th Streets, February 2nd
Billy Crystal is most known for his titular role of Harry in When Harry Met Sally, but the iconic actor swapped cozy-Meg-Ryan-rom-com and streets of NYC for a psychological thriller that shot in Hoboken this past February. Called Before, the project is a Paramount Studios production that will premiere on Apple TV+ as a limited series. Billy will portray Eli, a child psychiatrist who encounters a troubled young boy shortly after losing his wife.
On February 2nd, Billy Crystal and co. had blocked off several parts of Washington Street for filming, per Patch. HG readers submitted photos of film crews between 12th + 13th Streets. Unfortunately, there were no Billy Crystal sightings at the time — but back in the summer of 2023, Hoboken residents did see the veteran actor taking in views from Pier A Park.
January
It Ends with Us
Starring: Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni
Last Seen: Newport Waterfront, January 5th
@thehobokengirl The ‘It Ends with Us’ crew is back — filming at the Newport waterfront in #JerseyCity today Plus Ryan Reynolds playing supportive husband. #hobokengirl #hoboken #hobokennj #jerseycitygirl #jerseycity #jerseycitynj #jerseycitynewjersey #northjersey #nj #hudsoncounty #hudsoncountynj #njnews #celebs #itendswithusbook #itendswithusmovie #blakelively ♬ Confidence (sped up version) – Ocean Alley
The Blake Lively-led, Colleen Hoover novel-turned-movie is sort of Hoboken’s “big break,” ushering in this era of major motion pictures to film in Hudson County. Crews were first spotted in the early days of May 2023, but tides turned on May 17th, when Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively were seen filming on Bloomfield + 10th Streets. Locals poured out in droves to catch the A-Listers in action.
Filming paused due to the WGA Strike but resumed again in January of this year. The It Ends with Us cast and crew made their way to the Newport waterfront in Jersey City. Blake and Justin were once again spotted by locals, this time accompanied by Blake’s husband Ryan Reynolds.
Indeed, it might end with us, Hudson County locals. January was the last reported time the crew was seen filming. The movie is slated to premiere on June 21st, 2024, according to InStyle. The movie is no longer listed on the NJ Motion Picture + Television Commission’s list of projects currently filming in New Jersey.
See More: 12 Movies + TV Shows Filmed in Essex County
American Horror Stories
Starring: Rotating Cast
Last Seen: Elysian Cafe, January 26th
Hoboken has its fair share of rumored-to-be-haunted places, and though Elysian Cafe isn’t one of them, it entered a new category last November: rumored to be the filming location for a popular horror television series.
On Friday, January 26th, Elysian Cafe was closed to customers so that American Horror Stories — an FX + Hulu spinoff of the popular series American Horror Story — could use the restaurant as a film set. That was the second time the show had used the space, the first being November 2023.
American Horror Stories is an anthology spinoff to the award-winning series starring Emma Roberts and Evan Peters (the latter of which left after nine seasons). It features a different story each week, meaning no two episodes are in the same location or feature the same set of characters.
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