The Retreat is directed by Karl Tibbetts and due for release in December 2011
Three Hollywood stars have descended on a Gwynedd village as filming gets under way for a new psychological thriller.
The Retreat will star Billy Elliot's Jamie Bell, Cillian Murphy of the smash hit Inception and Thandie Newton of Mission Impossible II and Crash.
They will be spending most of their time at Plas Llandecwyn, a remote farmhouse near Talsarnau, Harlech, which will double up as a secluded island hideaway.
In the film Murphy and Newton play a married couple who are spending some time alone to repair their relationship.
But they're soon confronted by a bio-hazard suited soldier (Jamie Bell) who says a fatal airborne disease has swept the planet and they're the only people left alive.
The old manor house is doubling up as a remote island tretreatThe producers are calling The Retreat "a landlocked Knife in the Water meets Dead Calm", as the couple try to discover whether the soldier is telling the truth.
The production team arrived in Talsarnau two weeks ago and are due to stay until 15 October.
The actors and crew had wanted to stay at nearby Portmeirion, but site manager Meurig Jones had to reluctantly turn them down.
"They came to see us in June and wanted to take up quite a few rooms, but we're booked up in advance," said Meurig, who's nevertheless been keeping an eye as events unfold.
"They're at Plas Llandecwyn, an old manor house up near Llyn Isa. There's been a huge marquee up there for quite a few weeks now. I don't live far from there, and there's definitely been a lot of traffic going up to the house."
Meurig is delighted to have such high profile actors in the area.
"I'm looking forward to seeing the film," he said. "Anything like this is good for Wales, because people will see it and might want to come here on their holidays.
Director
"It's great to see that these things are happening and I hope it will continue."
The production team are believed to be staying at Barcdy Caravan Park, Talsarnau, but are currently releasing no further details of their schedule.
The Retreat is a debut for British director Karl Tibbetts and is a co-production between Irish film-makers, Ripple World Pictures, and British company Magnet Films.
It's due for release in December 2011 and is the latest in a long line of film and TV productions to use north Wales locations.
The Clash of the Titans remake was filmed at Dinorwig Quarry, Llanberis, last year, and actor and singer Will Young was at Bangor University in early September filming Bedlam, a six-part TV drama.
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2010-10-01
BBC - Hollywood glamour in Retreat at Gwynedd manor house
via news.bbc.co.uk
