Ridley Scott-produced television show to film in Central Virginia

A television show co-produced by Ridley Scott has selected Central Virginia as its filming location. The Civil War drama will film its first season in the Richmond and Petersburg areas in the late spring and premiere on PBS in the winter 2016.

The series will be eligible for state incentive funding, which will be based on expenditures in Virginia and certain deliverables to promote tourism in the state.

The show will be executive produced by Scott (“Gladiator,” “Thelma & Louise”), David W. Zucker (“The Good Wife”) and Lisa Q. Wolfinger (“Desperate Crossing, The untold story of the Mayflower”) and written by David Zabel (“ER”).

The show is inspired by the memoirs and letters of doctors and female nurse volunteers at Mansion House Hospital, a luxury hotel in Alexandria that was converted into a Union Army hospital during the Civil War.  The title of the series and cast will be announced later.

Several Hollywood productions have filmed in Central Virginia in recent years, including Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln.”  Currently, “Turn,” a historical drama that airs on AMC, is filming its second season in the area.

According to a statement by Secretary of Commerce and Trade Maurice Jones, “Turn’s” first season, which also was filmed in Central Virginia, had an economic impact in the state of $58 million and provided $19 million in wages.
               

The commonwealth’s film industry had an economic impact of $382.5 million in 2013, providing $19.4 million in state and local tax revenues, according to Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s office.