Residents of a tiny Northern California town were seeing stars this week as Apple Studios descended upon the coast for a secretive high-profile movie shoot.
While the production officially listed the film’s title as “Drumettes” on local permits and neon-yellow street signs, eagle-eyed locals quickly realized the “small” project was actually the star-studded psychological thriller “Sponsor,” starring Jason Segel, John C. Reilly, and Amy Madigan, SFGATE reported.
The production took over Half Moon Bay, a town of fewer than 12,000 people, for three days of filming, braving heavy rains and shutting down streets to capture the “quaint and historical” aesthetic of the area.
The production didn’t just stay on the beach; it moved right into the heart of the community.
Local restaurant manager Camille del Fierro told SFGATE that Oscar-nominee John C. Reilly even used her office at It’s Italia as a makeshift changing room.
“It was really cool,” del Fierro said of the brush with Hollywood royalty. “Like ‘Oh my gosh, celebrity in our little office.’”
The shoot also featured church closures, as the Community United Methodist Church hosted the crew for scenes depicting a 12-step meeting, forcing a Tuesday night Bible study to relocate to a neighboring parish, according to the new site.
Casting calls for extras aged 20 to 50 circulated on local social media, drawing in residents eager for their two seconds of fame.
Meanwhile, the parking lot of Smith Field Park was transformed into a massive staging area packed with white trailers, “Star Waggons” and California Highway Patrol cruisers.
While Apple TV hasn’t officially confirmed the “Sponsor” title, the details match perfectly with a 2025 California Film Commission release.
The film follows Peter (Segel), who enters a recovery program after a DUI crash and finds a charismatic mentor in Jerry (Reilly). Locals walking their dogs near the Wavecrest cypress tree tunnel were even shooed away by production assistants in black to keep them out of the frame.
Despite the minor inconveniences, the town seemed to be charmed.
“It’s sort of a compliment to the area,” one resident told SFGate.
The last major production in quaint town was 2012’s “Chasing Mavericks,” starring Gerard Butler.
