31 January, 2025

Horses, vintage cars, gravel, paint, stars — and action, as Netflix brings California to Cheltenham

Free paint job… John O’Toole isn’t complaining about a visit from Hollywood

Filming of a big-budget Netflix television series is planned to start next month, bringing gravel roads, horse-drawn carriages and Hollywood A-listers to Cheltenham.
Netflix hopes to film the adaptation of John Steinbeck’s classic novel East of Eden on a section of Cheltenham Rd between Takarunga Rd and McHugh’s restaurant, as well as small parts of Tainui Rd and Oxford Tce, under the working title Timshel, from 18-21 February.
Streets in the filming area will be covered with gravel and lined with horses, carts and old cars to emulate the late-1800s to early-1900s period, says a letter given to affected residents by the show’s location managers.
The production company has taken measures to ensure the safety of the horses and vehicles while also implementing clean-up protocols such as removing horse manure, said the letter.
A day before and after the large-scale shoot, which has a crew of about 200 people, will be spent setting up and cleaning up the set.
Filming hours are between 11.30am and 11pm, the letter says.
The seven-episode limited series set to be released on Netflix in early 2026 stars Florence Pugh and Mike Faist, as well as Christopher Abbott and Hoon Lee.
Set in California’s Salinas Valley, Steinbeck’s novel recreates the biblical story of troubled brothers Cain and Abel.
Work has already begun to start dressing the street, with two Cheltenham Rd houses being painted to period-accurate colours.
John O’Toole’s home is being painted yellow for filming and then back to its original colour afterwards, at the production company’s expense. O’Toole said the company had been great to work with. “I can’t complain – we’re getting our house repainted for nothing.”

Cheltenham character… Murray Henshall’s house will also feature in the Steinbeck adaptation

The company is also landscaping his garden to make it period-accurate, as the crew is planning to shoot a few shots looking out from his window, he said.
Compensation for the inconvenience has also been offered by the production company, he said.
The production team has asked another Cheltenham resident, Murray Henshall, to remove the flagpole and change the curtains on his two-storey Victorian home to better fit the period, he said.
Henshall said they had also asked to put the gravel from the street up his driveway.
Residents of another Cheltenham Rd house told the Flagstaff the production company had been in touch about covering their garage as it doesn’t match the property’s period style.
The letter dropped to residents also says cars won’t be allowed to park on the street during filming, but alternative parking has been arranged at North Shore Rugby Club, with a 24/7 shuttle taking people to their homes.
Filming dates are subject to change depending on the weather.
The carpark on the corner of King Edward Pde and Cheltenham Rd will be inaccessible to the public from 10-24 February because the production company plans to store the gravel there, the letter says.
Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, Screen Auckland manager Matt Horrocks said a public filming permit application for the production was being processed.
Details of the permit were last week being finalised through discussions with Auckland Council, Auckland Transport and the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board, he said.
The series would showcase Devonport’s historic village to an international audience and was expected to bring significant benefits to local businesses, he said.