Set Jet, Go: England's 2015 Hot Releases

Blenheim Palace

From Far from the Madding Crowd in Dorset to Frankenstein in Manchester,England will be one big, beautiful movie set next year, and once again crowds will flock to see where their favourite films were shot.

VisitEngland's Chief Executive, James Berresford says: “Our research shows that 40% of tourists want to visit locations they've seen on the big and small screen, so we know there is a huge appetite for 'set-jetting'.”

VisitEngland has teamed up with Creative England to select some of the biggest films to grace our screens in 2015, revealing to film buffs exactly where the action was shot.

INTO THE WOODS

9 January 2015
Set for release in January, the film adaptation of the eponymous Broadway musicalInto the Woods features an all-star cast including Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick and Johnny Depp. Showing off a number of quintessentially English locations, the soon-to-be Disney hit was shot at Dover Castle in Kent, Waverley Abbey and Virginia Water in Surrey, the Ashridge Estate in Hertfordshire, Hambleden Village and Hambleden Barn in Buckinghamshire. The film follows the classic tales of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel-all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife, their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch who has put a curse on them.

CINDERELLA

27 March
This live-action feature is inspired by the classic fairy tale Cinderella and brings to life the timeless images from Disney's 1950 animated masterpiece. English locations including the grand bridge at Blenheim Palace, Black Park in Iver Heath and the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich all help to set the scene for this childhood favourite. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, the film stars Lily James, Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden and Helena Bonham-Carter and will be released as the clock strikes midnight on 27 March.

A LITTLE CHAOS

April 2015
Starring Kate Winslet, Stanley Tucci and Alan Rickman, A Little Chaos is set to grace our screens in April next year. The story centres on a female landscape-gardener who is awarded the esteemed assignment to construct the grand gardens at Versailles, a gilt-edged position which thrusts her to the very centre of the court of King Louis XIV. But the 18th century French palace and grand houses were actually shot in England at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, the Ashridge Estate in Hertfordshire and Cliveden House in Berkshire. Some of the cast stayed at the Grade I listed, luxury hotel and grand stately home, Cliveden House, during filming. With a garden central to the story, the production also needed some versatile outdoor space and found most of what they were looking for in Black Park, a country park next door to Pinewood Studios, which covers over 500 acres of woodland, heathland and grassland.

FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD

May 2015
A new adaptation of Thomas Hardy's 1874 novel Far from the Madding Crowd will be released in May. The film stars Carey Mulligan and Michael Sheen, with screen play by David Nicholls. Filmed predominantly in and around Hardy Country in Dorset; Mapperton House, Durdle Door, Lulworth Cove, Sherborne, Eype, Purse Caundle, West Bay, Beaminster and National Trust property Cogden Beach all play a part. Few authors have such strong associations with their local area as Thomas Hardy, and today you can explore two of the writer's houses – his childhood home and Max Gate, the property Hardy designed himself and moved into with Emma after his marriage.National Trust property, Claydon House in Buckinghamshire, also features in the film, doubling up as Boldwood.

FRANKENSTEIN

2 October 2015

Old Royal Naval College

Based on Mary Shelley's 1818 novel of the same name, the latest adaptation is set to be released in October and will feature an all-star cast. Daniel Radcliffe will star as hunchback Igor, whilst James McAvoy will portray Victor von Frankenstein. Filming locations included Manchester Town Hall, Chatham Historic Dockyard, the Old Royal Naval College, including King Charles Court, and the bank of the river Thames in Greenwich.

VisitEngland

• VisitEngland is the country's national tourist board. We work in partnership with the industry to develop the visitor experience across England, plan national tourism strategy, grow the value of tourism in England and provide advocacy for the industry and our visitors.

England

• Historic yet contemporary, traditional yet cutting-edge, metropolitan yet wild: England is truly a unique destination and a real powerhouse in global tourism.

• With ancient Hadrian's Wall straddling the wild north and the world's biggest indoor tropical rainforest nestled in the far south, England really is the ultimate mix of old and new as well as being home to some of the most iconic sites in the world, including Stonehenge, the honey-hued Georgian terraces of Bath and the towering peaks and glistening meres of the Lake District.

More information can be found on www.visitengland.com andwww.visitengland.org.

Creative England

Creative England's Production Services team provide a free film office service to productions filming in England, outside London, to create investment, jobs and profile. From locations and studios to facilities and crew, the team help to find and access the industry's finest, liaising with local authorities, film offices, regional and national partners to gain filming permissions and facilitate a smooth shoot.

Cliveden Fountain

Creative England invests in and supports creative ideas, talent and businesses in film, TV, games and digital media. We aim to grow the brightest, the best, and those with the most promise so that individuals and businesses can achieve their full creative and commercial potential. We help identify future opportunities to grow the economy and generate jobs.

www.creativeengland.co.uk