An iconic West Country landmark, just south of Bristol, is featured in the trailer for the new ’28 Years Later’ film. The movie, which is the third film in the post-apocalyptic horror series, was written and directed by Danny Boyle, and partly filmed at Cheddar Gorge.
In the recently released trailer, you can see one of the stars of the film – Aaron Taylor-Johnson – running through the Gorge clutching a bow and arrow, alongside a younger character rumoured to be the film’s lead. The film also stars Jodie Comer and Cillian Murphy.
Earlier in the year, roads in the area were closed off for filming – a 21-mile diversion even had to be put in place during shooting back in July. The film, which follows ’28 Days Later’ and ’28 Weeks Later’ is set for release in June 2025, and it got us thinking about other locally filmed projects Bristol and the West Country will be featuring in, next year…
With Bristol being a UNESCO City of Film and boasting the famous and highly regarded The Bottle Yard Studios, the colourful streets and historic settings of the city are often used in high profile films and TV shows thanks to the Bristol Film Office, which provides support for on-location filming.
In 2025, we can expect to see Bristol and the region feature in a number of hotly-anticipated productions including the aforementioned 28 Years Later. Then we have The Forsyte Saga,a new reimagining of John Galsworthy’s novels for PBS Masterpiece starring an ensemble cast including Francesca Annis, Jack Davenport, Millie Gibson and Eleanor Tomlinson.
The Seven Dials Mystery is also coming up – a Netflix adaptation of the Agatha Christie classic production series filmed partly in Bristol and likely due out in 2025 (tbc) with Mia McKenna Bruce leading the cast that also features Helena Bonham Carter and Martin Freeman. Bristol is also one of the key filming locations for Guy Ritchie’s Young Sherlock, due out on Amazon Prime in 2025, and the prestigious Berkeley Castle – just north of Bristol – is featured in Wolf Hall on BBC iPlayer.
Meanwhile, since October 2024, Rivals,a Disney+ series based on the celebrated novel by Dame Jilly Cooper and starring David Tennant, Danny Dyer, Aidan Turner and Emily Atack, depicts the shocking antics of the social elite of 1980s England, and has been proving hugely popular. The series was predominantly filmed in and around Bristol and filming for series 2 has already been confirmed.
For visitors to the city, there are numerous self-guided filming locations maps created by Bristol Film Office and Visit Bristol, of shows including comedy thriller The Outlaws, Sherlock, Doctor Who and Skins (which celebrates its 18-year anniversary in 2025), among others.
What’s more, 2025 also sees two significant anniversaries for screen festivals in Bristol. Encounters Film Festival (September 24-28, 2025) celebrates 30 years of ‘championing fresh and exciting new creators in filmmaking as the UK’s leading short film, animation and virtual reality festival’; and Cinema Rediscovered (July 23-27, 2025) marks its 10-year anniversary of the festival dedicated to rediscovery and revival of great films.