A CASTING call in Weymouth this weekend has fuelled speculation that Hollywood could be on its way to the Jurassic Coast.

The open casting, for an 'untitled' Second World War project, is at the Pavilion’s Ocean Room on Saturday between 9am and 2pm, ahead of filming in Weymouth and Swanage next month.

The film is believed to be Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan's hotly-anticipated war film due out next year. It stars include Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, and One Direction's Harry Styles, among others.

It comes as the borough council is in talks with a company which wants to shoot part of a "major film" in the harbour.

The production company involved in Saturday's casting is Bodega Bay Films Ltd, with casting agency 2020 Casting organising the event.

Arron Cuthbertson, of 2020 Casting, said they were seeking “World War Two-type looking men and women of all ages” to act as paid extras. Men must be willing to have their hair cut short, in a 1940s style.

Mr Cuthbertson added that Swanage and Weymouth will be the “main hotspots” of the filming at the end of July.

According to IMDb, Bodega Bay has been used as a codename for the film Dunkirk. The famously secretive filmmaker Christopher Nolan has been shooting his film throughout the spring.

Mr Cuthbertson could not comment on whether the film was Dunkirk.

Peter Broatch, who owns several historic boats in Weymouth Harbour, said he had been approached for his vessels, My Girl and Enchantress, to appear on the big screen.

He said: “I think they want them as scenery to set the tone for wartime Britain. It will be good to see them on the big screen. They were used in the war, so it would be fitting to see them in a wartime film.”

Borough council tourism and culture spokesman Cllr Jason Osborne said: “It is possible that Weymouth could be used in a film.

“It would be great for Weymouth to get that sort of PR on the national stage. It could be a big plus for Weymouth. With all the accolades for the harbour, it’s fantastic. Everything is just great.

“We are on the crest of a wave and long may we stay there.”

Dorset's film history

WEYMOUTH'S latest foray into the world of cinema is the next chapter in Hollywood's love affair with the Jurassic Coast.

As well as being the home of television crime drama Broadchurch, Dorset has also been involved in a number of major movie projects.

The pride and joy of Bovington Tank Museum became a part of cinema history when its Tiger 131 tank was used in David Ayer's 2014 war drama Fury.

The vehicle, which is the last surviving operational Tiger I, starred alongside the likes of Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf.

It marked the first time since 1946 that a genuine Tiger, rather than a prop, had been used in a film.
David Willey, curator of the Tank Museum, said: "We hear how well the British film industry is doing and, having seen those skills at work on the set, it was fantastic to realise that the collection here is part of that success."

Portland played host to several of Hollywood's brightest stars when Richard Curtis comedy The Boat That Rocked rolled onto the island, with the likes of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rhys Ifans coming ashore.

Many scenes were filmed on a boat moored in Portland Harbour and interior shots were filmed inside a warehouse in Osprey Quay.

Cllr Jason Osborne, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council tourism spokesman, said: "When I heard The Boat That Rocked was filmed here, it was fantastic.

"My daughter watched it three or four times before we realised that that is where it was filmed."