Yorktown Welcomes Netflix, Robert De Niro

YORKTOWN, N.Y.— A Yorktown farm hosted a “Raging Bull” earlier this month.

A Netflix miniseries starring legendary actor Robert De Niro was filmed at Hilltop Hanover Farm on Wednesday, May 8. Yorktown was the latest Westchester stop for “Zero Day,” which had already filmed scenes in Tuckahoe and Purchase.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE FREE TAPINTO.NET NEWSLETTER

The six-episode series is billed as a political conspiracy thriller with De Niro as a former U.S. president who is called out of retirement to investigate a global cyberattack. The star-studded cast also features Lizzy Caplan, Jesse Plemons, Joan Allen, Connie Britton, Viola Davis, and Matthew Modine.

The scene filmed at Hilltop Hanover Farm was apparently an action sequence involving pyrotechnics and actors in uniform, said a Town Clerk’s Office employee, whose office issued a filming permit to the Netflix production. “Zero Day” also reportedly filmed a scene at a private home in Yorktown, said Yorktown Highway Superintendent Dave Paganelli.

One lane of traffic on Hanover Street was closed on the day of production, with Yorktown police officers directing traffic and alerting motorists that the chaotic scene unfolding at Hilltop Hanover Farm was a work of fiction. Before filming began, the Town Clerk’s Office mailed a notice to nearby residents, warning that there would be “sounds of gunfire in the area, as well as actors carrying firearms.”

Westchester has become a Hollywood hotspot in recent years, with many prestigious television shows and movies filming here. By the county’s count, north of 200 scenes have been shot in Westchester since 2015, including HBO’s award-winning series “Succession” and Sopranos prequel movie “The Many Saints of Newark.” Other hits filming locally include Ben Stiller’s Apple thriller “Severance,” Disney’s upcoming superhero series “Daredevil: Born Again,” and Hulu’s true crime comedy “Only Murders in the Building.”

DOWNLOAD THE FREE TAPINTO APP FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS. AVAILABLE IN THE APPLE STORE AND THE GOOGLE PLAY STORE .

Westchester County’s director of tourism and film said she was “thrilled to welcome” the Netflix production back to Westchester.

“Hilltop Hanover Farm and Environmental Center is one of Westchester County’s many film-friendly farms,” said Natasha Caputo. “It’s a jewel in our County parks system, and a cornerstone of Westchester’s agricultural heritage.”

Caputo said the 400-year-old Yorktown farm is attractive to filmmakers because of its authenticity. It also served as the backdrop for 2011’s “The Adjustment Bureau” starring Matt Damon and Emily Blunt.

Bucolic landscapes, historic spaces, and proximity to New York City are just some of the ingredients that make Westchester a desirable film location, Caputo said.

“Westchester really has it all, and we hear from the industry that our diverse locations are a huge draw,” she added. “In addition to bucolic locations like Hilltop Hanover, we have waterfront settings, urban landscapes, quaint Main Streets, historic sites, rural areas, and major soundstage and studio spaces. Our local resources, the professional services we offer, and our proximity to New York City all work to make Westchester incredibly attractive for filming.”

Movies have also been a financial boon for the county and its businesses, with Caputo saying, “Film has become a billion-dollar industry in Westchester.” In addition to compensating property owners to film, the productions bring crews that stay in hotels, use local services, and dine in restaurants.

“We see our role as instrumental in fostering a welcoming environment for the industry to film and do business here,” Caputo said. “The real reward, of course, is seeing our locations featured in today’s most popular shows and showcased to audiences around the world.”

No release date has been announced for “Zero Day.”

For more local news, visit TAPinto.net