By Sunayana Prabhu
HOLMDEL – If zombies on Route 35 in Holmdel spooked you, then they’ve done a great job.
AMC Studios has been filming a spinoff series of “The Walking Dead” titled “Isle of the Dead” at Holmdel Motor Inn. The filming began Thursday, July 21 and continued through the weekend with minor traffic interruptions until Monday, July 25.
Zombies were out in the sweltering heat at a shuttered nursery on Route 35 and later at the Holmdel Motor Inn next to Dearborn Market. The horror series “Isle of the Dead,” starring Lauren Cohen and Jeffery Dean Morgan – reprising their roles as Maggie and Negan, respectively – is set in a post-apocalyptic Manhattan. A line producer on the series, who preferred not to be identified, said, “We’re shooting this part of New Jersey as if we’re in Virginia. And then we’ll be shooting other parts of New Jersey as if we’re in New York City itself.”
Morgan posted teaser photos of the script on his Instagram which spurred excitement for “The Walking Dead” fans and explains why there was a constant vigil by local and state police on the film set in Holmdel. New Jersey State Police Sgt. John Faust, who was there Thursday assisting with traffic mitigation, said there were three agencies involved – the state police, the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, and the Holmdel Police Department.
The line producer said the production team is based in facilities in the Meadowlands Arena because tax incentives offered by New Jersey are an attractive proposition. “Gov. Phil Murphy and the state… has created a great film incentive here in New Jersey. So, we’re taking advantage of that, and it helps bring jobs to the area and we spend a lot of money, try to be really good neighbors, of course,” he said.
The process of filming, particularly for post-apocalyptic scenes, is a collaborative effort. Locations must permit elaborate action scenes, choreographed explosions, pyrotechnic operators for a grand finale and “walkers” in undead makeup. The Holmdel Motor Inn saw designing of set elements to include decaying walls, dated, battered cars in the parking lot, and zombies with clothes covered in blood. Even the name of the inn has been changed: It is the Easy Stay Motor Inn for the show. According to an employee, the inn continued to operate during filming; some guests even got a firsthand look at the process.
“This particular script called for kind of an isolated motel, and one that was willing to work with us and let us do what we call art direction, changing signs and making it look older than it actually is. So, we scouted and found this motel and we’re thrilled that they were willing to work with us,” said the line producer.
The Two River area has been a hotbed for production companies in recent years with projects like “Clerks 3,” “Severance” and most recently “Miranda’s Victim” filmed in the area. The series premiere of “Isle of the Dead,” as listed on IMDB, is expected in 2023 on AMC and AMC+. The series’ executive producers include Cohan, Morgan, Eli Jorné and chief content officer of “The Walking Dead” franchise Scott M. Gimple.
The article originally appeared in the July 28 – August 3, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
