According to the official media site for
Jacksonville, an advance crew for Mathew Vaughn's
X-Men: First Class has been scouting Jekyll as a location for the movie, which is currently being filmed in London. The advance crew is consulting with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Jekyll Island Authority and agencies on permits and other requirements for filming on the island, Assistant County Administrator Paul Christian said tonight.
“We’re excited about this possibility,” Christian said.
“We’re so happy they’re over on Jekyll looking at the potential of the island. We hope that it comes to pass because it would be a great economic boost for the area.” Christian's wife Susan, the sales and marketing director of the Hampton Inn and Suites on Jekyll, says
"[The advance crew is] in our hotel right now, and there are 15 advance people, but the number changes constantly.”
The County Commission passed a resolution at its meeting tonight to write a letter of support for the movie, but made scant mention of it aside from adding it to its consent agenda for items requiring no discussion. The site includes that If Jekyll is approved, the cast and crew could be there as early as next month and may stay through the rest of the fall.
While this could easily be unrelated, previous
X-Men: First Class reports say that a new X-Mansion is needed, specifically a "Large brutallist building to double as CIA headquarters". And off the coast of Georgia, Jekyll Island consists of a number of buildings from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as well as open fields.
Films that has used the location for specific scenes include
Glory, The Legend Of Bagger Vance, and The View From Pompey's Head. And whatever
X-Men: First Class has planned for the island, if things even fall through successfully, production has been underway for about a month in locations scattered across London. And the Mathew Vaughn-directed silver age prequel hits theaters July 3, next year!