Girl in Florence

A Tuscan Texan immersed in Florentine life

Netflix Films Six Underground in the City of Florence. Here’s What You Need to Know

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Netflix in the city? Well you might be on to something here.. 

Well Those in Florence, Italy at the moment might have come across unexpected barriers or the loud sound of helicopters buzzing overhead, something those living in Los Angeles are more accustomed to experiencing than a tiny Renaissance city in Italy. I remember sleepless nights in my bedroom in North Hollywood wondering whether the spotlight from the helicopters would hover in our neighborhood or head to another borough for the night. Just another reality living in the city of broken dreams right?

Naturally my first instinct (hey after ten years I consider myself a local) was to get pissed off at the filming crew because we were quite literally almost blocked when we tried to leave our street for our trip to France. My husband did the proper thing in insisting bodily harm (kidding) if they didn’t let us through to our impending 11 hour voyage and luckily they did but you could say this post is longer overdue because I am sure many people are wondering what all of the fuss is about since the last time people got this excited is when they were filming the Inferno movie based on Dan Brown’s novel, The Medici Series or Madonna’s music video. Suffice to say it’s hard to hide anything in a city this small, including how you digested the night before 😉 much less a car race in the center of town!

However, once I heard a certain Ryan Reynolds was in town, I started to feel a bit sorry that I wasn’t in town at the moment — after all who could stay angry at his kind eyes and wry smile, anyway there was a point to this post somewhere.. A special things to Coral aka Curious Appetite who promoted me to write this after seeing a lack of info in English on the filming thus I was prepared to take on the challenge after two glasses of wine and a cheese plate (I love you France).

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm7rHx2AnM1/?taken-by=paololodebolefoto

Essentially what the buzz is about is a new Netflix film starring Ryan Reynolds and directed by Michael Bay taking place in the city of Florence, thus encompassing the entire historical center. According to Deadline.com, Six Underground is based on an original idea from writers and executive producers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who scripted the Deadpool films. I don’t have full details on the plot as of yet, but from what I’ve read on the inter webs it will be based around six billionaires who pretend to die to form a special team that fights crime, lol, I’m sure billionaires in real life would just have their assistants take care of that.

https://www.facebook.com/GirlinFlorence/videos/275648809714708/

 Michael Bay is the director responsible for the films Armageddon, Last Judgment and the Transformers saga and Ryan Reynolds, well he can do no wrong. Since info can be confusing and there are plenty of traffic delays due to the shoots, it was worth it to me to whip up this post even on vacation.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmtQneNnb1_/?taken-by=19sasy84

Filming Times, Closures & Real-Time Updates 

Shooting will take place until August 31st and again from September 10-21st (and September 3rd).

The three base camps will be in Piazza Vittorio Veneto and Lungarno della Zecca Vecchia (from August 14th) and Piazza Ognissanti (from August 24th) which will remain operational until September 22nd.

The word has it (thank you Nerd Movie Productions) on the 3rd of September, they will be filming in Piazza Pitti, Piazza della Repubblica, Lungarno Torrigiani and Serristori. The last phase of shooting will concentrate around the Uffizi Gallery, Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella and San Lorenzo, also Piazza Goldoni, San Niccolo, Via Tornabuoni and the Accademia and Four Seasons Hotel. Make sure to allow for extra time if you have a taxi or car and need to get around these areas on those dates.  Also if you see Ryan Reynolds make sure to give him my number, just kidding, love you Nico.

*updated August 28th, 2018 — quinewsfirenze.it

Expect parking bans today until 9pm in Piazza Santissima Annunziata and Via Gino Capon, via Giusti (between via Alfieri and Borgo Pinti), via dei Servi (between piazza Santissima Annunziata and via degli Alfani), piazza San Giovanni, via dei Pecori, via dei Cerretani (between piazza San Giovanni and Piazza dell’Olio), via Tosinghi (between via Calzaiuoli and via dei Brunelleschi), piazza Strozzi, piazza Davanzati).

August 29th 

They will be shooting until 9pm at Via Cavour, Lungarni Serristori (2pm-5pm) and Cellini. There will be a parking ban on Via della Fornace. From 6-8pm, there will be a parking bam on viale Poggi (except for the ztl F sector residents showing a photocopy of circulation) and piazza dei Mozzi (between lungarno Serristori and via dei Renai)

August 30th.

Shooting will take place at Palazzo Vecchio and via Campo di Arrigo and expect parking bans at Piazza San Firenze (between Via Anguillara and Borgo dei Greci, Museo Zeffirelli side), Via della Ninna, Via dei Gondi and Piazza Mentana.

August 31st 

Shooting/set up will be in the area of ​​San Firenze-via dell’Anguillara and Piazza Cavalleggeri. In Piazza San Firenze-Anguillara it starts at 2pm on August 30th

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm7NUWclNbC/?tagged=sixundergroundmovie

Ryan Oh Hey Hey. General Info 

According to FirenzeToday.it, they will be shooting in the historical center, everywhere from Santa Croce to Viale Poggi and along the Arno river up to Vespucci bridge and also Campo di Marte. Essentially, everywhere (see paragraph above)

The shooting of the film is expected to bring plenty of money to the city as well as help the image of Florence (as explained by the deputy mayor of Florence Cristina Giachi in the Italian paper La Nazione) so that’s likely why the city agreed to such a deal considering how it might upset residents and visitors. She might be right because I read that Michael Bay only agreed to this film because Netflix committed to Bay’s budget of around $125 million and is set for a worldwide release on Netflix in 2019. The film is expected to bring around 90 million euros in Italy and Bay promises an epic car chase scene like never seen before. However, it doesn’t change the fact that helicopters are loud, Italians hate road changes, and we really really hope no one accidentally crashes into the Duomo (see video above).

I thought it a little rich that during a press conference Bay also included that the movie would “increase tourism” and bring about a “sexy image” (source) two things this city decidedly doesn’t need and actually actively is trying to dissuade in an ever-growing climate of “mass tourism” issues around Europe, but it would take a local to know that and care. After all, once the cameras are gone, it’s the people who live here who will be left with the impact. In a way, a car crash could be a sort of ironic way to symbolize the direction of an ever-crowded “sexy” Florence and its increasingly exasperated residents. 

Once again, I will do my personal best to keep this post updated with anything I read in the Italian news but in the meantime, enjoy the (literal) ride and let me know what YOU think about the filming! I’m curious!

Disclaimer: please keep in mind that this is a personal blog and anything written here is from my own personal interpretation and clearly linked to sources of whom I cite. Do not confuse this blog with an official news site, I am just a normal girl in Florence who likes to stay informed and share with my readership. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm3jlhGBNBP/?taken-by=17chrisw

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4 Responses

  1. Ciao cara Georgette,

    Enjoyable & useful comments as always and in this case for navigating Firenze during the filming!

    I saw the information below online in mid-July on “Collider” and it does not add very much to the plot information that you have, only a little bit more in that there will be four men and two women….in fact besides Reynolds who will lead the team of “Six” and Franco who will play the 6th member, there will be Adria Arjona (in the series True Detectives), Manuel Garcia-Rulfo ( in Branaugh’s Murder on the Orient Express), Corey Hawkins (soon to be seen in Spike Lee’s upcoming BlacKkKlansman (!!!), Melanie Laurent (in Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds) and Iranian actor Payman Maadi (in A Separation), added to the cast.

    “Not much is known about the actual plot of Six Underground, though the script was written by Reynolds’ Deadpool and Deadpool 2 scribes Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, who will also serve as executive producers. Interestingly enough, the tone of the film is said to be in the vein of Deadpool meets Mission: Impossible. Reynolds will lead a team of four men and two women on some kind of mission to stop evil, so he’ll play One (naturally) and Dave Franco is making a deal to play Six. That’s all we know for now, though more casting is expected to be announced soon.” See above!

    Enjoy a wonderful late August vacanza with Nico and Ginger in Francia!

    Abbracci,
    O.

    1. Thanks for adding in your two cents, I have been looking everywhere online for more info without much luck. I will watch it though since of course it will feature our city and I’ll be curious to see how it all pans out. I hope you had a wonderful August as well :). Dobbiamo venire a Chianti questo settembre!

  2. Right on about the exasperation. The needs of the locals are put on the back burner during these times. With “Inferno” when they shut down the Ponte Vecchio, I had to go all the way down to the next bridge to get to my Italian class, even after arguing with the young men in uniform. That video at the Duomo was scary. Can’t they just build a set to look like it???

    1. Absolutely, a lot of people have told me about how the filming has impacted their daily routines so it is worth noting among all of the “omg it brings so much to the city and hey Michael Bay!” fanfare.

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Georgette Jupe

Welcome to my personal blog by a curious American girl living and working between Zug, Switzerland and Florence, Italy with my husband Nico, our newborn Annabelle and Ginger the beagle. This space is primarily to share about my love for Italy (currently on a 13 year romance) with a fair amount of real talk, practical advice, travel suggestions and adjusting to a new culture (Switzerland). Find me on IG @girlinflorence @girlinzug

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