Girona is being secured for the filming of 'Tomb Raider' with Sophie Turner
Throughout the weekend the old town is bunkered to film different scenes of a new Amazon series about the video game saga directed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge
GironaAfter the boom of Game of Thrones a decade ago, Girona is once again becoming the setting for a major international series. This weekend, the city center hosts the filming of the first season of Tomb Raider, by Amazon MGM Studios, with actress Sophie Turner as the protagonist. It is the live-action adaptation of the famous video game franchise starring the adventurous archaeologist Lara Croft, which had already reached the big screen at the hands of Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander. Now it does so in series format and will premiere next year. In addition to Turner, the cast features prominent names such as Sigourney Weaver and Jason Isaacs, and the production is by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) as creator, screenwriter, and executive producer.
Throughout the week, there has been movement of vans, trailers, lights, and technical crews through the city center streets. Fences, scaffolding, and signage announcing restrictions on passage and traffic closures have also been installed. A large number of technicians equipped with walkie-talkies, speaking in Catalan and Spanish, are finalizing preparations, while the police patrol and indicate diversions to locals and tourists. During the preparations, Phoebe Waller-Bridge was also seen giving instructions to the crew on the cathedral steps, and a Lara Croft stunt double dressed almost identically to Sophie Turner.
The filming is concentrated around Plaça del Vi and the Cathedral. Access to various areas is completely restricted, and high fences prevent viewing of what is being filmed. Secrecy is absolute. The production company has not provided information on which actors are participating in the Girona scenes, nor on the plot or the type of sequences that will be recorded there. It is likely an attempt to avoid a crowd effect like the one that occurred a few weeks ago with the casting for casting for Enredados, Disney's live-action adaptation, which attracted thousands of young people to the city through social media.
Persecutions set in the Girona Fairs
However, ARA has been able to confirm that Sophie Turner is in Girona to participate in the filming. Also, the production will recreate the Girona Fairs as part of the setting for some action and chase scenes. This is why in Plaça del Vi, some flags inspired by popular festive imagery can be seen. The production will also feature the giants and big-heads of La Fal·lera and fire shows starring the Diables de Girona, who have signed confidentiality agreements. Another of the filming locations is on Santa Clara street. In this case, however, there have been no traffic disruptions because the scenes are being filmed on a rooftop, where several cranes have transported plants and set elements.
The residents, to get to their homes, do not have preferential access and have to take long detours. "It's a mess. There are many closed-off areas and also parking spaces reserved exclusively for vans. For a major production company like Prime, it doesn't represent a great cost to close off a small city like Girona," explains a resident of the Barri Vell who works in the audiovisual sector. The impact is especially visible because, unlike the filming of Game of Thrones, which lasted for a whole summer and was spread across various areas of the center, this time it has been concentrated and the historic center has been blocked off for three consecutive days.
Among the affected streets, a singular image stands out. Just as the news has been made public that the Girona Critics Collective loses the management of Cinema Truffaut, on one of the balconies near the cathedral hangs a banner proclaiming: "More Truffaut and less Disney and Prime".
From the City Council, a positive assessment is made of the arrival of this international production in the city. Sources from the council explain to this newspaper that the project has been developed in collaboration with associations and Girona institutions; that work has been done to minimize the impact on residents and guarantee compensation for affected businesses; and that measures have been negotiated so that the filming has the maximum economic and promotional return for the city.