SOUTHPORT — It’s been two years since Southport transitioned into Providence, South Carolina, and now audiences of “Greedy People” will get a close-up look at the seaside town.
READ MORE: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lily James to film dark comedy in Southport
Shot under the pseudonym “Providence” or “Problem with Providence,” “Greedy People” set up in the area for a few months in late spring 2022 and employed roughly 100 local crew members. Lionsgate will release the movie in cinemas on Aug. 23, but a new trailer dropped recently.
It showcases many coastal scenes, including the city pier, downtown Southport and humorous historic homes.
While rolling cameras, film permits noted crews set up at various locations — Southport Ace Hardware, Edgewater 122, Potter’s Seafood, Riverside Motel, Old Smithville Cemetery, Bald Head Island Ferry, Southport Ferry Terminal, and Mullett Bar.
Most businesses were portrayed for their existing uses, but in several cases, set designers transformed establishments: Lantana’s Gallery became a coffee shop, the Trolly Stop became a diner, and the International Longshoremen’s Association on West 10th Street became a police department. It’s unclear how many will make the cut in the film.
“Greedy People” is a crime thriller, but one packed with laughs and high body counts, according to the trailer.
“Don’t kill anybody, unless you really have to,” Gordon-Levitt as Terry tells his new rookie partner, Will, portrayed by Himesh Patel. “‘Cause that shit is … messy.”
The film follows the two through twists and turns of crooked cop behavior after making a $1-million discovery while investigating a fatal crime scene. They hack a plan to stow away the money and along the way come in contact with the island town’s many colorful, morally questionable residents: an expectant mom (Lily James), masseur (Simon Rex), and shrimp company owner (Tim Blake Nelson).
The film’s star power is also amped up by appearances from comedian Jim Gaffigan, Uzo Aduba (who returned to Wilmington last year to film “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can Eat”), Joey Lauren Adams (“Chasing Amy”) and actress and former porn star Traci Lords.
Lionsgate’s director of acquisitions and co-productions Allison Lynch told Variety the leads — Gordon-Levitt, James, and Patel — create a rollicking journey. It ranges “from the hilarious to the horrific — and the movie always keeps you guessing,” she said.
Gordon-Levitt recently appeared in “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” and “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.” He received a Golden Globe nod for his performance in 2009’s “500 Days of Summer” and won a 2021 Screen Actors Guild award for “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”
James and Patel have worked together before in 2019’s “Yesterday” — a movie centered on the last person on Earth to know the music of The Beatles. He also appeared in Adam McKay’s end-of-world comedy “Don’t Look Up” and scored an Emmy nomination for his role in the HBO mini-series “Station Eleven.”
James has been in Edgar Wright’s “Baby Driver” and starred in the Hulu miniseries “Pam and Tommy” as Pamela Anderson, for which she won a Satellite Award in 2023.
“Greedy People” was directed by Potsy Ponciroli, known for the 2021 western “Old Henry,” with a script by Mike Vukadinovich (“Kidding”). The indie film was funded by Boies/Schiller Entertainment and Limelight before releasing distribution rights to Lionsgate.
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