Construction crews were busy working on what appeared to be an old abandoned church on a rural Perth South road Monday, but it’s actually a new building being assembled for the filming of a King thriller.
Officials are being tight-lipped about the project, but a memo sent to Perth South public works staff confirmed it’s for the filming of In the Tall Grass, based on a novella written by King and his son, Joe Hill.
In early May, Netflix announced it picked up the rights to the thriller, which will be directed by Vincenzo Natali. It was reported to be filmed in Toronto this summer.
Multiple interview requests to Netflix, Copperheart Entertainment, the In the Tall Grass production team, and on-site construction crews were denied.
“We can’t really talk about it unfortunately. We’re bound by the studio,” a Copperheart spokesperson said.
Perth South public works staff said they were unable to discuss the project, as did Scott Abercrombie of nearby Gildale Farms.
“I know lots about it but I should pass (the request) on,” Abercrombie said.
Abercrombie did confirm the church was not on his property.
“Our farm is the farm with the tall grass (across the road),” he said.
The white building, designed to appear rundown, only has a facade and a right side. The left and rear portions are just framing.
“It’s half a church – for people that aren’t sure,” a construction crew member joked.
Another crew member said they’ve been working on the project for about three weeks.
Perth South Mayor Bob Wilhelm said he didn’t know much about the project, but it’s creating a buzz.
“I know it’s certainly created a lot of interest,” he said.
Several people stopped to take pictures Monday.