
Popular Edinburgh Old Town pub transformed as filming gets underway in capital
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info
A popular Edinburgh Old Town pub has been transformed as filming gets underway in the city.
Temporary signage has been installed above the entrance to The Oz Bar on Candlemaker Row, with workers in high-vis vests also seen outside and at the front door.
It comes following a wave of activity in various locations within the city in recent days as camera crews descended on the capital as it looks, yet again, to play a big part in an upcoming movie.
Large gold signage in another language has appeared on the pub's frontage, with graffiti in what appears to be the same style also spray painted on the wall opposite and above doors on the narrow street.
It remains unclear what movie or TV show has prompted the transformation at The Oz Bar, though it comes after Warner Bros trucks and crews were spotted nearby.
(Image: Supplied)
On Monday, June 9, several vans and trucks were pictured on West and South College Street. Crews appeared to be setting up ahead of what could be days of filming in the area according to no parking sign.
Earlier on Monday, we told how a superfan camped out for 15 hours after getting word Hollywood A-lister Samuel L. Jackson was in town for a new JJ Abrams movie, which saw the same Warner Bros truck captured in the background.
Jackson is understood be in the capital filming a project named Ghost Writer. Cast and crew for the movie were on Candlemaker Row over the weekend.
The cast is said to include Glen Powell, Jenna Ortega, Emma Mackey and Samuel L. Jackson. Warner Bros have kept details for the movie under wraps, though it appears to be a sci-fi.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Times
4 hours ago
- Times
Inside F1: The Movie – how Brad Pitt hit 180mph (with Lewis Hamilton's help)
What if you made Top Gun, but with cars? And if Tom Cruise isn't available, what if you cast Brad Pitt? The idea was simple, as the most successful in Hollywood often are. It started with the fact that Top Gun: Maverick had made $1.493 billion in 2022, thrilling a worldwide audience who had been stuck at home for two pandemic-heavy years. The movie was produced by the industry heavyweight Jerry Bruckheimer (Pirates of the Caribbean, Beverly Hills Cop) and directed by Joseph Kosinski: together the two men had the sort of brainwave that could go on to make a further billion. The result? F1: The Movie is a racing movie that aims to bring the live thrills of Formula 1 and the behind-the-helmet personal dramas of the hit Netflix series Drive to Survive to the big screen (and later the small). Taking place over several key races, it's the first movie that effectively captures the details and daring of F1. Funded by Warner Bros and Apple, a studio and a streamer, it has had full co-operation from the official Formula 1 body (Lewis Hamilton is a producer) with a video game and soundtrack tie-in to boot. This is the modern way to make an enormous budget film — proving that the movies did not die, they just needed to collaborate more. 'I've been doing this for over 50 years and the same thing has been echoed again and again — that the cinema business is done,' Bruckheimer, 81, says. 'There was VHS, DVDs, multiple-channel TV, but we're still doing it.' He smiles. 'You have a kitchen, right?' I do. 'But you also go to restaurants?' Guilty. 'Why? Because the food is good and you want a change. So all we need is to make films people want to leave their home for. That's our job. And if we fail then, yes, we have a problem.' The titan behind behemoths from Top Gun to Armageddon and Con Air, Bruckheimer has made glossy action films that have changed Hollywood, for better or worse — ushering in today's multiplex era. Yes, he has had his flops, but there is a reason he is still making films in his eighties. First, he lives and breathes them. Second, he is very good at making money. Surely it is trickier now to predict a hit, when the industry has fragmented across various formats and platforms? 'Well, anybody who tells you they've made a hit movie is lying,' Bruckheimer says with a shrug. 'They have never known. You can put all the bells and whistles on a movie and have the best actors in the world, yet nobody shows up. You just don't know. It's always a crapshoot.' In F1: The Movie Pitt plays the fictional driver Sonny Hayes, a once brilliant racer whose career has been ruined by an accident (he is partly based on the British driver Martin Donnelly, who had a career-ending crash in 1990). Now retired, Hayes is called on by his old friend Ruben (Javier Bardem) to save his struggling team and try to improve the chances of their main driver, Joshua (Damson Idris). Filming began at Silverstone in 2023 and continued in Japan, Mexico, Abu Dhabi, Hungary, Italy and beyond. It is a truly international production, made at a time when President Trump is threatening tariffs on films not made in the US. Bruckheimer is a rarity in Hollywood, in that he has previously donated to the Republican Party. Does he think the Trump tariffs are workable? 'I don't think it's going to change anything,' he says. 'The only way America can deal with [movies being made abroad] is to be competitive with tax rebates — then they'll have a chance of keeping more movies in America. But when you can save 40 per cent by making a movie somewhere else, that will always be a big incentive to go.' I had read that the budget for F1: The Movie was $300 million, which would put it among the 15 most expensive films ever made and demand a huge box-office haul. 'It's quite a bit lower than that,' Bruckheimer says with a grin. 'Look, other studios try to inflate our budget to make their high budgets look lower, but it was a lot less. We had the advantage of putting advertising on the cars, so we saved a fortune. Sponsors all realised how important it was to get their product on a car driven by Pitt. That is pretty cool. That's how Hollywood miscalculated our number.' The film came about partly because Hamilton had wanted to be in Top Gun: Maverick, but the timings did not work out. He had stayed in touch with Kosinski, and became the technical adviser on F1, which puts cameras on real racing cars to make it as realistic as possible. The seven-time champion was able to tell the film-makers that they were, for instance, using the wrong gear on a turn — the sort of detail that matters to petrolhead punters. Hamilton was also adamant that the actors experience genuine speed: the film uses very little CGI. 'Throughout my career I would tell people how difficult it is in a race,' Hamilton says. 'And they would ask, 'How much weight did you lose?' or 'What bruises do you have?' We can lose up to ten pounds [during a race], so having these actors go through the challenges we do as racing drivers — the speed in which you're processing information, the effect on the body, the G-force — was really important. Because you can't fake that.' So, yes, that is the A-lister Pitt driving at 180mph. 'The expression on his face, that concentration and intensity? It's all real,' Kosinski says. 'That's not him acting — he is trying to keep himself alive at that moment.' Surely their insurance company balked at the idea of Pitt filming at those speeds? 'Well, people loved the idea, but when reality set in there was a lot of concern,' Kosinski says. 'And a lot of hand-wringing and conference calls. Ultimately, Brad's natural talent in the car allowed us to get it through.' • 10 best sporting lives on screen — from Maradona to Tonya Harding 'Our insurance policy put a limit on how fast Brad could drive,' Bruckheimer adds. 'It was about 160mph. But our stunt drivers went to the brokers and said, 'It's more dangerous to hold him back, because you need centrifugal force going into these corners.' And they bought it.' Over to audiences then, to see whether F1: The Movie will rival Asif Kapadia's Senna documentary as the racing fans' favourite. Bruckheimer has had hits with Eddie Murphy, Johnny Depp, Will Smith — is Brad Pitt an actor who makes people want to leave their house to watch a movie? 'We'll see, won't we?' F1: The Movie is in cinemas from June 25 Two-for-one cinema tickets at Everyman Times+ members can enjoy two-for-one cinema tickets at Everyman each Wednesday. Visit to find out more


Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Orlando Bloom cuts a somber figure amid claims of 'tension' in Katy Perry relationship
Orlando Bloom flashed a somber expression at the premiere of his new film Deep Cover - amid claims he is experiencing 'tension' in his relationship with fiancee Katy Perry. While for the most part he appeared in high spirits, the Hollywood hunk, 48, failed to crack a smile at times as he attended the Tribeca Festival event with his adorable dog Biggie Smalls. Orlando gave his dog the VIP experience and even walked the red carpet with his furry friend in his arms, where he flashed silly expressions at the pooch. Not only did Biggie Smalls command attention at the premiere, but he also accompanied his owner for an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Bloom revealed he got Biggie Smalls 10 months ago and referred to the pooch as his 'emotional support animal.' 'So my manager calls me and says, "You know you're trending." And I'm like, "Well that's great, I'm trending!" "Well not exactly you, it's the dog,"' he said. 'He looks fake!' Jimmy remarked, which Bloom agreed with. 'I was told I need a whisper of a dog. I travel so much, but I do love dogs... He's a real emotional support animal, 'cause I'm very emotional right now, sitting here,' he joked. The Lord Of The Rings star also spoke about his recent skydiving adventures for his Peacock show, Orlando Bloom: To The Edge. The actor even soared through the skies in a 'wing suit'. 'Now that is scary,' he said. 'It's like a squirrel suit,' he said of the contraption. 'It's the fastest you can be propelled as a human on the planet without an engine or something. And you literally feel like you're flying,' he said. 'The last stunt of the show was I flew five miles over the ocean, landing on Pismo Beach,' he said. 'So my manager calls me and says, "You know you're trending." And I'm like, "Well that's great, I'm trending!" "Well not exactly you, it's the dog,"' he said on Fallon's show Orlando said he felt as though he was 'flying' - but added it was also 'terrifying.' 'Like a superhero,' he added. 'If you even move your foot slightly, you could go into a tumble, and then the fear is you tumble, and then you've got to pull a chute, and then you're upside down, and then you've got to pull a chute again. It can go south very fast.' Meanwhile, Bloom's outing comes amid a new report alleging that his fiancee Katy's poorly performing album has caused 'tension' in their relationship. The singer's, 40, seventh studio album, 143, was released in September 2024, and received a largely negative response from fans as well as critics, who claimed the record sounds 'generated through AI.' The actor was pictured at the premiere of his film Deep Cover during the Tribeca Festival on Tuesday 'Katy was deeply frustrated following the reception of her new album. It made her very stressed,' a source told People on Monday. 'Orlando was understanding, but it did cause some tension,' the insider added of the Lord of The Rings star, 48, who shares daughter Daisy Dove, four, with the singer. Another source shared, 'She was also disappointed in some of the tour reviews. It's put stress on their relationship.' Perry is currently on her Lifetimes world tour. has reached out to representatives for Perry and Bloom for comment. Perry and Bloom first met in January 2016. They had a brief breakup in 2017, but later reconciled by March 2018. The pair got engaged on Valentine's Day in 2019 and welcomed their daughter in August 2020. Bloom also has a 13-year-old son named Flynn with his ex-wife, Miranda Kerr, 42.


Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Blake Lively subpoenas ex BFF Taylor Swift's nemesis Scooter Braun in latest blockbuster legal move
Blake Lively has subpoenaed former BFF Taylor Swift's nemesis Scooter Braun in her latest legal wrangle with Justin Baldoni. Lively, 37, who landed a blockbuster victory over It Ends With Us star Baldoni this week, has made another shock move as both Braun and HYBE, Braun's K-Pop corporation, will be served subpoenas on Thursday, June 10, per Deadline. Per the outlet, the subpoenas will 'seek documents regarding crisis PR manager Melissa Nathan' - who was named in Lively's bombshell suit against Baldoni. Information is also sought on work Nathan did for Baldoni. has contacted representatives for Lively and Braun for comment but has not heard back. Braun and Swift had a huge public fallout in 2019 after he shelled out $300m on the rights to her first six studio albums. At the time, Scooter was the new owner of Taylor's record label, Big Machine Records - and a heartbroken Swift then re-recorded five of those albums in response, re-marketing them as 'Taylor's Version.' The shock subpoena comes after the Daily Mail exclusively revealed Lively and Swift's decade long friendship was over. Recently, a source told Daily Mail that Taylor is leaving Blake's texts, calls and emails unanswered. It was recently reported that Taylor has iced out her friend of 10 years, due to feeling 'betrayed' and 'exploited' by Blake. 'Even though Taylor has totally cut ties with her, Blake hasn't with Taylor,' the insider claimed. 'She's been reaching out to her with texts, voicemails and even emails begging to mend what they once had. Blake isn't giving up on trying to get her friendship with Taylor back on track. 'Taylor hasn't responded to any of Blake's pleas. She's ignored all her grovelling excuses. The missives explain there must be some misunderstanding on Taylor's part and that she would never do anything to harm their ten years of closeness and personal secrets.' Blake stands accused of unwantedly dragging Taylor, godmother to her three daughters, into the ongoing legal battle with her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni, 41. In January, Taylor was named in various legal documents - with potential humiliations including screenshots of alleged texts from Blake in which she referred to herself as 'Khaleesi' (a character from TV series Game of Thrones) and to Swift as one of her 'dragons.' This comes after Lively's shock countersuit win on Monday was slammed by Baldoni's lawyer as a 'false victory tour.' Bryan Freedman spoke with TMZ Live on Tuesday, a day after a New York City judge scuttled a $400 million suit Baldoni filed accusing Lively and spouse Ryan Reynolds of defamation and extortion. Lively was later pictured at the 18th Annual Tribeca Artists Dinner in New York City on Monday evening, coming off her stellar day. The lawyer admitted that while he and the Baldoni camp 'weren't pleased that that the judge dismissed the defamation claim, ' it wasn't 'what the case is about.' The attorney then recapped the series of events that led to the massive litigation surrounding the surprise summer hit. Daily Mail has reached out to reps for Lively for further comment on the story. Freedman spoke with TMZ Live on Tuesday, a day after a New York City judge scuttled a $400 million suit Baldoni filed accusing Lively and spouse Ryan Reynolds of defamation and extortion. Lively pictured Monday in NYC beaming after the case against her was dropped 'We got started because Blake Lively filed a CRD complaint and then walked over and filed a lawsuit,' he said, 'which accused some very good people of a smear campaign and accused a terrific young man of sexual harassment - both of the which were completely untrue.' 'And that's where the case got started' and 'where the case stands today.' 'What we wanted our win is to show there was no smear campaign, and there's no sexual harassment,' Freedman explained. 'And she hasn't proved a thing - as a matter of fact, it's just the opposite.' Freedman told TMZ Live that evidence presented in the early stages of litigation has been damning for Lively and Reynolds. 'Look at the facts, look at what's been shown, look at the receipts, look at the video,' said the lawyer. Freedman told the outlet that proving the claims Lively made to be false has always been the chief focus for Baldoni's team, 'in addition to getting damages.' He said he was hoping Lively didn't 'drop her lawsuit ... because she's on a false victory tour, and she's afraid of the truth. 'The truth is, you know, going to be shown through depositions, which is what's going to be next, I've noticed her deposition - it's set in June - we're going to see if she's going to appear at that deposition or not,' Freedman said. 'And we're gonna proceed forward with the case, and we're gonna show that there was no sexual harassment, and we're gonna show that there was no smear campaign.' The actress on Monday released a powerful statement hours after a judge dismissed Baldoni's case. 'Last week, I stood proudly alongside 19 organizations united in defending women's rights to speak up for their safety,' Lively said on Instagram on Monday. Like so many others, I've felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit, including the manufactured shame that tries to break us.' The Los Angeles-born star continued: 'While the suit against me was defeated, so many don't have the resources to fight back.' Lively, who shares four children with husband Ryan Reynolds, vowed that she was 'more resolved than ever to continue to stand for every woman's right to have a voice in protecting themselves, including their safety, their integrity, their dignity and their story.' The Gossip Girl alum wrapped up in thanking those in the public who have supported her amid the turbulent past year. 'With love and gratitude for the many who stood by me, many of you I know,' Lively said. 'Many of you I don't. But I will never stop appreciating or advocating for you.' The It Ends With Us actress, whose legal battle with Justin Baldoni has had a significant impact on her friendship with Taylor Swift, added a list of groups that had publicly supported her amid the highly-publicized Tinseltown tussle. Among them, in alphabetical order, were the California Employment Lawyers Association, California Women's Law Center, CHILD USA, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, Equal Rights Advocates, Esperanza United, Her Justice, and Herunivercity Inc. In a move that might have been a harbinger of changing momentum in the case, Lively took aim at Baldoni Thursday, saying that women's groups had abandoned him in droves. A total of '19 leading survivors and organizations devoted to women's rights, children's rights and domestic violence have now signed onto four separate amicus briefs,' a spokesperson for the Another Simple Favor actress told Daily Mail in a statement. The statement continued: 'All are united in opposing Justin Baldoni's attempt to dismantle a law designed to protect women who speak up — simply to protect himself.' Lively's team said that Baldoni was going against his own playbook as the complicated legal case progresses, leaving himself open to increased scrutiny in the wake of his past public statements. 'Rather than defend his case on the facts, Baldoni is now contradicting years of his own public persona - abandoning the message of his #MeToo YouTube 's, podcasts, TED Talks, and interviews, where he once upon a time urged men 'to listen to the women in your life … to hold their anguish and actually believe them, even if what they're saying is against you,' Lively's rep said. The statement wrapped up: 'These women and organizations are sounding the alarm about his DARVO tactics, and the chilling effect they could have well beyond this case.' One party that can breathe a sigh of relief after Baldoni's lawsuit was thrown out is Marvel Entertainment, LLC. Baldoni had subpoenaed the studio to get it to preserve any documents related to the Deadpool & Wolverine character Nicepool, which his legal team claimed was designed 'to mock, harass, ridicule, intimidate or bully' Baldoni. But after throwing out Baldoni's lawsuit, Liman agreed to Marvel's request to 'quash the subpoena issued to Marvel from [Baldoni's] Wayfarer Parties and for a protective order prohibiting the disclosure of Marvel's confidential documents.' Baldoni's team had send a letter requesting documents be retained to Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and Bob Iger, CEO of its parent company Walt Disney, on January 7. Lively has accused Baldoni of sexual harassment in a lawsuit; while Baldoni accused Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and publicist Leslie Sloane of defamation and extortion in a $400 million suit - the latter of which was dismissed Monday. Baldoni has denied the allegations brought about by Lively, while Lively, Reynolds and Sloane have denied the accusations made in litigation by Baldoni. The star of films such as The Town and The Shallows posted a statement to her Instagram Stories amid Monday's momentous legal proceedings Lively in December sued Baldoni amid claims of sexual harassment during production of the motion picture. In her lawsuit, the Gossip Girl alum accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her in multiple ways — including body shaming her — and orchestrating a smear campaign against her to damage her reputation. Baldoni and his reps have said in response to the lawsuit that Lively twisted the meaning of text messages and mislead the public about their interactions while making the motion picture. In her lawsuit, Lively named a number of Baldoni's collaborators, including his company Wayfarer Studios, the studio's CEO and financial backer, and PR personnel Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel. Baldoni subsequently sued the newspaper for $250 million in a defamation claim over a December 21 story titled '"We Can Bury Anyone": Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine ;' the newspaper has denied the allegations. Baldoni on January 16 filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds and her publicist Leslie Sloane, alleging defamation and extortion. Baldoni told the court the trio had concocted 'false accusations of sexual harassment' against him.