Written by Shona Smith on Jun 23, 2021. Posted in Production News

Space Oddity to film in Rhode Island

Primetime Emmy winner Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) is directing Rebecca Banner’s acclaimed 2016 Black List screenplay in Rhode Island. The independent feature film will showcase the state’s varied landscapes.

Space Oddity stars Kyle Allen (West Side Story, All My Life), who takes on the role of Alex who, after giving up on Earth and deciding to leave it one-way mission to Mars, develops an unexpected romance with Daisy the enigmatic town newcomer, played by Alexandra Shipp (Deadpool 2, Shaft). The new relationship forces him to choose between an uncertain journey to the stars and an even more uncertain journey of the heart.

Director Kyra Sedgwick stated, “As soon as I read Space Oddity, I knew this was a film I had to direct. This family is so beautifully flawed, so perfectly human. The humour and the heart jumped off the page. We started Big Swing to tell just this kind of story – one that centers on hope but never shies away from the struggle that makes us all part of this fragile experiment on Earth. And there is no better place to film this story than in the beautiful state of Rhode Island. Shooting Space Oddity in Rhode Island is a breath of fresh air. Everyone from the Rhode Island Film Office to the Town of Wickford has welcomed us with open arms. We have a local crew that can’t be beat and the locations are magical. We couldn't be more delighted for the opportunity to make our film here!”

The film begins principal production in the historic towns of Wickford and North Kingstown this week. Rhode Island's Motion Picture Production Tax Credit provides a 30% benefit on state certified production costs. There is a USD7 million cap per project, which can be waived for certain film and TV productions.

Steven Feinberg, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Film & TV Office, remarked “We are excited to welcome Kyra, Valerie and their talented team of professionals to make Space Oddity. Rhode Island is fortunate because we have superb partners in both the public and private sectors, and we enjoy working together to build a positive environment for the creative economy to shine. We are particularly grateful to Big Swing Productions for providing good paying jobs for many local artists and hard-working technicians from across Rhode Island. As collaboration is key to the art of cinema, we look forward to helping Kyra, Valerie and the Space Oddity team produce movie magic here in the Ocean State!”

Rhode Island has hosted production for a number of high profile productions, including AMC's NOS4A2 starring Zachary Quinto.