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Department of State

The Hon. Tahesha Way, Lt. Governor and Secretary of State

What’s Filming In New Jersey: ‘Severance’

Principal photography in Holmdel

NEWARK, NJ – Viewers of the new Apple TV+ television series Severance may recognize some of the backdrops when it airs later this year. Portions of the new show were filmed at the Bell Works complex in Holmdel in late March. The story is set at fictional Lumen Industries, a company that’s looking to take work-life balance to a new level with a “severance procedure” that separates work and out-of-work memories. Written and created by Dan Erickson, Severance is produced by Adam Scott (who also stars), and co-executive produced by Ben Stiller, who is also directing some of the episodes.

Patricia Arquette (Boyhood) co-stars in Severance, along with Britt Lower (Man Seeking Woman), Jen Tullock (Before You Know It), Zach Cherry (You), Tramell Tillman (Hunters), John Turturro and Christopher Walken.

Formerly the home of Bell Labs, Bell Works was repurposed into a one-of-a-kind, mixed-use space for business, culture, tech, retail, fitness, dining and hospitality and spans almost a quarter mile. In 2015, the site was used to shoot several scenes for the short film Future Relic, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, and in 2019 it served as a location for the ABC television series Emergence. Last year, Bell Works, in partnership with Cinema Pop-Up, hosted a drive-in movie theater experience showcasing an array of action and family films.

“Television production is once again flourishing in New Jersey, and we expect the number of productions that come to our state to shoot is only going to continue to grow,” said Governor Phil Murphy, “We are delighted to welcome Apple TV+ back to the state.”

Two other Apple TV+ shows, Little America and Lisey’s Story, were also filmed on location here in the past two years. Additional series filmed in the Garden State recently include NBC’s The Enemy Within and Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector, CBS’ The Equalizer and Ways & Means, HBO’s The Plot Against America and Hulu’s Wu Tang Clan: An American Saga.

“New Jersey’s film and television industry has rebounded strongly since the worldwide production shutdown caused by the pandemic,” according to Secretary of State Tahesha Way. “We are excited by the quantity, quality and variety of projects now being made in the state.”


About the New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission
The NJMPTVC, which falls under the New Jersey Department of State’s Business Action Center, is staffed by industry professionals and serves as a resource for production companies. The Commission promotes film and television production in New Jersey.
www.film.nj.gov

 


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