WORCESTER - Christmas is coming early for downtown Worcester.
Multiple sources have confirmed with Spectrum News 1 that for the better part of July, crews will be at Mechanics Hall on Main Street in Worcester filming “Spirited,” a musical rendition of the Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol,” starring Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell.
According to IMDB.com, “Spirited” (listed on the site as “Christmas Carol”) is “A musical version of the classic Christmas story by Charles Dickens. A miserly man who treats everyone around him with terrible selfishness finds himself on a fantastical adventure into the three phases of time: past, present, and future, in order to discover how he ended up so miserable and alone.”
The movie is being produced for AppleTV+.
According to Collider, Reynolds will be playing the “Ebenezer Scrooge-like lead” and Ferrell is expected to play the “Ghost of Christmas Present.”
This is the second major film announced in the last two days that will be filming scenes in Worcester this summer. On Thursday, Spectrum News 1 reported “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” the sequel to the 2018 hit “Black Panther” will begin filming scenes around Worcester in the coming weeks.
In an interview on Thursday, Edgar Luna, the city of Worcester’s Economic Development Office business development manager, couldn’t confirm the film’s production, but did say, “I can tell you there is a movie that is going to be filmed at an important hall here in Worcester.”
Luna also noted scenes of other movies, including a major film production, will soon be shot on Main Street, the Worcester Common, the Worcester Regional Airport, city parks and local bars and restaurants.
According to IMDB.com, “Spirited” will also be filmed in Braintree.
The movie will mark the second AppleTV+ production in Worcester, as the 2020 mini-series “Defending Jacob” starring Chris Evans also filmed scenes in Worcester.
“Spirited” will also mark the second movie starring Reynolds in Worcester. Scenes for Reynolds’ movie “Free Guy” were filmed in downtown Worcester in 2019. The movie is being released on Aug. 13.
“Spirited” is directed by Sean Anders and John Morris, according to IMDB.com.
Editor's Note: Per Apple TV+'s request, we have removed a portion of this story.