Major Apple TV movie shoots around tiny Bay Area town

"Everyone in Half Moon Bay seemed to know that something was going on. Some saw the casting call for extras circulating on Nextdoor: locals only, appearing to be ages 20 to 50. Others noticed the street closures on Tuesday, as heavy rains pummeled the small city. And a few, biking on the bluffs overlooking Wavecrest Beach on Wednesday, stumbled across a film crew clustered under a row of canopies, complete with a camera crane and several generators."

"This week, a major feature film produced by Apple Studios, the in-house production company for Apple TV, shot around the coastal community, which has a population smaller than 12,000. According to a permit application reviewed by SFGATE, the crew worked over the course of three days in Half Moon Bay, from Tuesday through Thursday. The permit application - and the yellow signs posted near its filming locations - list the film's title as "Drumettes.""

"In "Sponsor," a man named Peter (Segel) ends up in a recovery program after a drunken driving crash, according to Apple TV news release. At his first meeting, he finds a charismatic sponsor, Jerry (Reilly). In an email exchange with SFGATE, Apple TV did not confirm whether the film in question was "Sponsor," but the details line up. "Sponsor" is one of a small list of Apple Studios feature films in production. A June 2025 news release from the California Film Commission mentioned that "Sponsor" had plans to film in Half Moon Bay."

Apple Studios conducted a multi-day film shoot in Half Moon Bay, prompting casting notices on Nextdoor, street closures during heavy rains, and visible crews on the bluffs. The production used the working title "Drumettes," which aligns with the film "Sponsor," a psychological thriller starring Jason Segel, Amy Madigan and John C. Reilly. In "Sponsor," a man named Peter (Segel) enters a recovery program after a drunken driving crash and meets a charismatic sponsor, Jerry (Reilly). Local residents reported cameras, cranes, generators, canopies, and John C. Reilly using a restaurant space as a changing room.

Read at SFGATE