Could little Oxford be going Hollywood? It appears that way.
Several local officials have confirmed to Oxford Patch that portions of a movie starring Hollywood star and Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. will be filmed in Oxford starting Tuesday.
Gooding, 44, is said to be playing a man, living in the mid-1800s, who tries to free his family from slavery. He is supposed to film portions of that movie Tuesday at the site of the old Stephen B. Church mansion at 49 Great Hill Road, next to the S.B. Church Co., a water well drilling and service company, officials said.
Producers for the film, which is said to be titled Something Whispered, have asked state police to help them shut down a portion of Great Hill Road for a couple of hours Tuesday. Police could not be reached to confirm if or when the road would be shut down.
About the Film
The following is a description of the movie from the blog Shadow and Act, which is also posted on the website IMBD:
Set in 1850, the story centers on a man named Samuel (Gooding), who attempts to free his family from the brutality of institutionalized slavery, intent on escaping from the tobacco plantation they have been forced to call their home for two generations. Read more at Shadow and Act.
Local officials say they are not sure whether Gooding will actually be in Oxford.
Gooding, who has 71 major film credits to his name, is known for his roles in the 1996 movie Jerry McGuire, for which he won the Oscar for his portrayal of NFL star Rod Tidwell, and for his portrayal of a teenager growing up in a poor neighborhood in South Central Los Angeles in the John Singleton film Boyz n the Hood.
