Liam Neeson, Tom Holland, Daniel Kaluuya: This is the week for celebrity sightings in NEO

Liam Neeson on the set of 'The Minuteman.' The young boy pictured was given a chance to help film this scene.

If you live in Northeast Ohio and want to catch a glimpse of a working movie set or movie star, this is the week to do it. Three features films are shooting in and around the area, with one, Liam Neeson’s Minuteman, wrapping production later this week.

Neeson on the 'Minuteman' set

Film fans have spotted Neeson at a number of area locations, including Charlie’s Doghouse Diner in Cleveland, Mahall’s bowling alley in Lakewood, and on location in Wellington and Parma, Ohio. The movie tells the tale of an Arizona rancher who becomes the unlikely defender of a young Mexican boy on the run from a cadre of drug dealers.

Katheryn Winnick (Wu Assassins, Vikings) and Juan Pablo Raba (Narcos, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) also star.

Judas and the Black Messiah

Daniel Kaluuya

Also kicking into high gear this week is Warner Bros.’ Judas and the Black Messiah (aka Jesus Was My Homeboy). Daniel Kaluuya stars in the film, a biopic of slain Black Panther leader Fred Hampton. Hampton was assassinated in 1969. Audiences will recognize Kaluuya from his lead role in Jordan Peele’s Get Out.

Watch for Jesse Plemons (The Post), Dominique Fishback (The Deuce) and Lakeith Stanfield (Atlanta), who co-star. Shaka King (High Maintenance, People of Earth) directs. Ryan Coogler (Black Panther) produces.

Cherry

Holland and the Russo Bros on the set of 'Infinity War'

Also ramping up into full production is Cleveland natives Joe and Anthony Russo’s Cherry, the semi-autobiographical tale of a veteran suffering from PTSD who slips into addiction and is arrested for bank robbery. Tom Holland (Spider-Man: Far From Home) stars. Keep an eye out for Ciara Bravo (Big Time Rush, Wayne) and Bill Skarsgard (IT, Deadpool 2) who also star.

Coming Soon

Another feature that has applied for the Ohio Film Incentive program and could land somewhere in Ohio in the coming months: Respect, the biopic of legendary R&B artist Aretha Franklin. The film stars Jennifer Hudson in the title role and is written by Thelma & Louise scribe and Nashville creator Callie Khouri.

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