CINCINNATI — Roll the cameras. Another Hollywood production has set up shop in Greater Cincinnati, and this one brings some serious star power. “Jonah,” a film adaptation of Rachel Bonds’ off-Broadway play, is shooting on location in the Queen City this week with Greta Lee and Cooper Hoffman in the lead roles.
The production received more than $1 million in Ohio film tax credits, according to the state’s Department of Development. The film carries a total budget of about $3.9 million and follows a woman named Ana, played by Lee, who is flooded with memories that force her to revisit the defining relationships of her life. Alden Ehrenreich co-stars alongside Hoffman, with Edmund Donovan and Hagan Oliveras also in the cast.
Production is scheduled in Cincinnati through Oct. 9, with preproduction having started in late July and roughly three weeks of filming on the calendar. Residents have spotted film crews and equipment in Fairfax and Madisonville, including trailers staged near the former St. Margaret of Cortona Church on Murray Road. Local casting director D. Lynn Meyers has been posting casting calls for background roles throughout the shoot.
The film marks the feature directorial debut of Tony Award winner Danya Taymor, who directed the original stage production. Oscar-nominated producer Michael Heimler of Black Bear Pictures applied for the tax credit in July. For Cincinnati, the shoot is the latest in a steady run of film and television productions drawn by Ohio’s incentive program — and a chance for locals to spot a movie set in their own neighborhood.
