Six films and TV shows shot in Sussex coming out in 2023

With star turns from Olivia Colman, Timothy Spall, Sir Michael Caine, John Simm and Aaron Paul, here are six Sussex-made films and TV shows set to hit screens in 2023.

Wicked Little Letters

Olivia Colman was spotted in Arundel filming for Wicked Little Letters (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)

Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman was spotted in Sussex this year as filming got underway for the period comedy Wicked Little Letters, set in Littlehampton in the 1920s.

The comedy explores a group of women who receive scandalous and obscene letters from an unknown source and set out to uncover the perpetrator.

Production for the film took place in September and October in Arundel and Worthing, with Jessie Buckley, Timothy Spall and Joanna Scanlan also featured among the A-list cast.

Several 1920s-era stalls lined the streets in Worthing for filming of the period comedySeveral 1920s-era stalls lined the streets in Worthing for filming of the period comedy (Image: Eddie Mitchell)

Twenties-era food stands and posters, along with deckchairs around Worthing Lido, were put in place while filming occurred along the town’s esplanade.

While a release date for the film has yet to be announced, it is expected to hit screens in the new year.

The Great Escaper

Sir Michael Caine was seen filming in Camber Sands for the upcoming film (Image: Ali Burt)

Sir Michael Caine was spotted filming in Camber Sands in October for the upcoming film The Great Escaper, which tells the story of Hove war veteran Bernard Jordan - who escaped his care home to attend the 70th anniversary of the D-Day Landings.

Bernard became a national sensation after sparking a missing persons search when he left unannounced for the commemoration in Normandy in 2014.

Sir Michael was seen sporting a flat cap and wearing medals while filming on the beach as well as at The Dunes Bar, which was renamed Bar la Normande for the production and decked out with French signage.

Production for the film took place on the beach at Camber Sands (Image: Amanda English)

The film will see Sir Michael reunited with actress Glenda Jackson as Bernard’s wife Irene, almost 50 years since the pair starred in The Romantic Englishwoman.

No release date has been announced for the drama, but it is understood to be coming to cinemas at some point in 2023.

Napoleon

An epic historical drama charting Napoleon's rise to power in France will be coming to Apple TV+ in the new year, starring Joaquin Phoenix in the titular role.

Production began back in February across the UK and Malta, with filming understood to have taken place at Petworth House.

The film also sees BAFTA award-winning actress Vanessa Kirby play Empress Josphine, the first wife of the French leader.

While no official release date has been announced, it has been rumoured that the film will release on the subscription platform some time in the summer.

Black Mirror

After an almost four-year hiatus, the science fiction dystopian series Black Mirror will return for a sixth series on Netflix.

Filming for the latest series began in July in the Sussex town of Rye, with Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul spotted as local cafe The Old Grain Store was transformed for the show, created by Charlie Brooker.

The actor was seen wearing 1950s-style clothing, with American road signs and an old-fashioned truck also seen along the street.

A release date for the new series has not yet been announced, although it is believed it will air on the streaming platform at some point in the new year.

Grace

ITV crime drama Grace returns to screens in 2023

The eagerly anticipated third series of the ITV crime drama Grace, set in Brighton and Hove, returns to screens next year.

Inspired by the novels by Brighton author Peter James, the series has been filmed across the city and Sussex over the last year, with production crews and actor John Simm spotted in Bond Street, as well as Rottingdean, Woodingdean Primary School, and a former Lidl in Burgess Hill - which had been transformed into a morgue for the last series.

John Simm was seen in a shop in Bond Street for Grace filming (Image: The Argus)

While the exact date of the new series has yet to be announced, the titles of the series’ three episodes have been revealed; Dead Like You, Dead Man’s Grip, and Not Dead Yet - adapting the novels of the same name.

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey

Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet star as bloodthirsty murderers in an upcoming slasher film (Image: Jagged Edge Productions)

With a slightly less A-list cast, the independent slasher film Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey is due to be released in February. 

The film will see characters from the classic children’s book turn into feral bloodthirsty serial killers and embark upon a rampage after a grown-up Christopher Robin abandons them to go to college.

A trailer for the film shows violent scenes where Piglet brutally hits someone in the head with a mallet, Pooh kidnapping a woman, and the main characters trying to escape the pair’s clutches.

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey was filmed over ten days in Ashdown Forest, which serves as the inspiration for the Hundred Acre Wood, the setting for the original book series.

The movie could be made after the original book from 1926 by A.A. Milne was freed from copyright after becoming a public domain work in the United States at the start of this year.