The four-day Auckland shoot took place in Cheltenham in late February to film part of the streaming giant’s adaptation of John Steinbeck’s classic novel, East of Eden, following filming in Ōamaru and Central Otago.
The production, which has a working title of Timshel and stars Florence Pugh and Mike Faist, saw up to 200 cast and crew on set in Cheltenham, with local streets transformed to resemble California’s Salinas Valley in the early 20th century.
Ahead of filming, the production’s Auckland-based location managers arranged to paint selected houses in era-appropriate colours, including a notable villa on Cheltenham Road, built in 1906. Its owner, John O’Toole, said in a 31 January Devonport Flagstaff article that the location team and production company had been “great to work with”.
As reported in the Flagstaff, the production company arranged and paid for landscaping and for the house to be painted yellow for filming and then back to its original colour. “I can’t complain – we’re getting our house repainted for nothing,” O’Toole said in the article.
Devonport Flagstaff shared in a follow-up story that filming saw part of Cheltenham Road and nearby streets covered with gravel, with vintage cars, horses and extras in early 20th-century costumes attracting groups of spectators. Location workers on set told the Flagstaff that locals seemed happy and excited about the production.
This was confirmed by feedback from residents that location managers shared with Screen Auckland, the region’s film office delivered by Tātaki Auckland Unlimited on behalf of Auckland Council.
Screen Auckland worked closely with the Timshel team to ensure the production process was smooth, and disruption was kept to a minimum for local residents and businesses.
Here is a selection of the feedback:
“Thanks for being creative in our community of Cheltenham. Enjoyed the cars and horses and having you around.”
“It’s been a pleasure having you all in the neighbourhood. Crew have all been great and we will miss you.”
“I and some neighbours I spoke to were impressed (and pleasantly surprised) with the activity and organisation related to filming in and around Cheltenham Road. It was clearly a massive project yet there was little disruption…and there was minimal or no noise. Everybody we spoke to or met, from the location managers to those who were on security duties, were friendly, ready to answer questions, and accommodating of onlookers. The atmosphere was friendly, very respectful and disruption minimal and communication keeping us up to date could not have been better.”
As a thank you for their help, the production company hosted residents at a wrap-event at local beachside venue, McHugh’s of Cheltenham.
Netflix is due to release its East of Eden adaptation, a seven-part limited series, in 2026. Matt Horrocks, Screen Auckland Manager, says the series will showcase Cheltenham and its historic charm to an international audience, and brings significant benefits to Tāmaki Makaurau.
Creating job opportunities for Auckland crew and talent and making an important economic contribution to our region’s billion-dollar screen production industry, this production reinforces our region's reputation as a world-class filming destination while putting Devonport on the global stage. Auckland's commitment to being a film-friendly region strengthens our position as a leading production hub, Horrocks says.
Photo credit: Devonport Flagstaff
