On Location: Upcoming Movies Being Filmed in New Jersey

Thanks to New Jersey’s tax credits for film and television productions, the amount of movies produced in the state has skyrocketed in recent years. From indie films like The Front Room to big-budget blockbusters like Oppenheimer, New Jersey has helped bring several motion pictures to life. There are only more Jersey-made movies on the horizon:

Ponyboi (2025)

Though Ponyboi premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024, the movie will be released on June 27, 2025. Based on the short film of the same name, Ponyboi follows an intersex sex worker on the run from the mob on Valentine’s Day after a drug deal gone wrong. The film’s titular character is played by writer River Gallo, who appears alongside stars like Dylan O’Brien, Victoria Pedretti, Murray Bartlett, and Indya Moore. Ponyboi filmed on location in Palisades Park, Ocean Township, Kearny, and Asbury Park.

Happy Gilmore 2 (2025)

Adam Sandler returns to the putting green with Netflix’s follow-up to the classic 1996 comedy Happy Gilmore, which has been filmed in locations throughout New Jersey. Along with Sandler, this sequel will see the return of Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, Dennis Dugan, and Ben Stiller. Happy Gilmore 2 will also feature appearances from celebrities like Margaret Qualley, Bad Bunny, Kid Cudi, and Benny Safdie.

The Bride! (2025)

As Guillermo del Toro will release his adaptation of Frankenstein in 2025, writer/director Maggie Gyllenhaal will also debut her reimagining of Bride of Frankenstein. Reportedly shot in Newark, The Bride! shows Frankenstein’s monster reanimating a murdered woman to be his wife, bringing social change to 1930s Chicago. This monster movie stars Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Penélope Cruz, Pete Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, and Jake Gyllenhaal.

RIP (2025)

For their latest collaboration, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon spent time in the Garden State for their upcoming Netflix film, RIP. This movie follows a group of Miami cops who lose trust in each other after discovering millions of dollars hidden in a run-down house. Affleck and Damon star in RIP with Teyana Taylor, Sasha Calle, Steven Yeun, and Kyle Chandler. NJ.com reported that filming took place in Bayonne, Hoboken, and Moonachie.

The Housemaid (2025)

Based on the bestselling novel by Freida McFadden, The Housemaid is a psychological thriller directed by Paul Feig about a woman aiming for a fresh start as a wealthy couple’s housemaid. 

Sydney Sweeney, Brandon Sklenar, Amanda Seyfried, Michele Morrone, Ellen Tamaki, and Megan Ferguson are set to star in this movie. The Housemaid began filming in Ridgewood in January 2025, with more scenes reportedly being shot throughout North Jersey.

Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025)

Where else but New Jersey can a biopic about Bruce Springsteen be filmed? This film features The Bear actor Jeremy Allen White as the Boss himself, alongside co-stars Jeremy Strong, Stephen Graham, Odessa Young, Paul Walter Hauser, Gaby Hoffman, Johnny Cannizzaro, Harrison Gilbertson, Marc Maron, David Krumholtz, and Chris Jaymes. The Asbury Park Press confirmed that Deliver Me from Nowhere was filmed in Montclair, Rockaway, Bayonne, Rahway, and Asbury Park. These locations include The Stone Pony, where the young Springsteen launched his music career.

The Dish (2026)

The legendary Close Encounters director returns to science fiction with his upcoming UFO film, based on an original script by Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp. The exact premise of the movie is currently unknown. However, it has been confirmed that Emily Blunt, Colman Domingo, Eve Hewson, and Josh O’Connor will star in the film. NJ.com has also confirmed that filming will take place in Cape May County. As a result, The Dish will be the second UFO film Spielberg has made in New Jersey, having filmed 2005’s War of the Worlds throughout the state.