We have a packed list of new productions filming in London this month featuring stars such as John Cena, Idris Elba, Kit Harrington and Priyanka Chopra Jonas! There's also some blockbuster film and TV shows featuring London locations coming to cinemas and streamers this May. Read on to find out where you can spot London on-screen with the much-anticipated releases of Fast X and Netflix's Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.

Acclaimed British author Candice Carty-Williams is adapting her prize-winning debut novel into a new series for Channel 4! Queenie will be a new 8 x 30 drama centring around a 25-year-old Jamaican British journalist who gets caught up in her catastrophist ways after a messy break up with her long-term boyfriend. Carty-Williams, who is incredibly passionate about her protagonist, said that Queenie Jenkins will become a problematic favourite on our TV screens, as she makes her way through her messy twenties, inspired by the author's real-life experiences. The new series has started filming in South London this month and we can't wait to see this relatable and loveable London-based story come to life on-screen when production wraps!

Idris Elba is filming in London on new series Knuckles from Sonic The Hedgehog director Jeffrey Fowler! Elba will reprise his role as the titular character, Sonic's best friend and former nemesis. The spin-off from the first two Sonic films comes from Paramount+ and will see Elba's Knuckles take on the role as master of the way of the Echidna warrior, with Adam Pally's Wade Wipple as his apprentice. We're excited for another live action video game adaptation to be filmed in the capital. London's creative industries are thriving at the intersection of film, TV and Games. To find out more about how London's Games industry merges with the capital's film and TV production sectors, read our overview of this year's London Games Festival.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas and John Cena are the next power duo filming in London this month. Heads of State is a new action thriller from Amazon Studios and also features the busy and multi-talented Idris Elba, who now has two productions on the go in London! Plot details are yet to be confirmed but with director Ilya Naishuller (Hardcore Henry, 2015 and Nobody, 2021) at the helm, we can expect an exhilarating ride with this film! Fans of Priyanka Chopra Jonas should definitely read on below to find out more about her new London-set film coming out this month...

A Thousand Blows has also been filming in London this month. This exciting new period drama features Stephen Graham and The Crown's Erin Doherty and is set in the murky underworld of crime, illegal boxing and thievery in 1880s London. Specifically, the new 12-part Disney+ series focuses on the Forty Elephants, an all-female shoplifting gang that operated in the capital's seedy criminal scene from the 19th to 20th century. The story follows Hezekiah, played by Malachi Kirby (Small Axe, 2020), who arrives from Jamaica, jumping head-first into London's East End. Trying to find her way through the sprawling dangers of Victorian-era London, Hezekiah meets the leader of the Forty Elephants, Mary Carr, played by Doherty. Together, they learn new skills to survive through competing in the underground world of boxing, as intense rivalries grow and violence spills out of the ring.

Disney+ have recently announced that season 2 of Extraordinary has started production in London! Picking up where the first season left off, the hilarious and original show is created by Emma Moran, a breakout star writer with a playfully unique voice. In the world of Extraordinary, everyone gets their superpowers at 18. Except for 25-year-old Jen, who, played by Máiréad Tyers, begins to learn that it's ok to not have powers like everyone else. Season 2 will see Jen continue her personal journey in search of her special power whilst trying to balance her feelings and love life along the way. Season 1 filmed throughout London at locations such as Liverpool Street Station, The 'Gherkin' in the City of London, Brick Lane, the Whitechapel Gallery and Spitafields Market.

A brand new season of Industry has also started filming in the capital. The high-stakes drama returns to film in the City of London's financial quarter. This season, we're heading straight back into Pierpoint & Co. with an exciting new recruit, as Kit Harrington has signed on to appear in a starring role. Also returning to the show is Marisa Abela, who has recently wrapped filming in London on Back to Black where she stars as music icon Amy Whinehouse. David Jonsson also features in the hit HBO show. Jonsson recently starred in Rye Lane which is now out on Disney+! We delved into the film's wonderful array of South London locations in Raine Allen Miller's trailblazing debut in the March edition of What's On and Filming in London.

London On Screen

Queen Charlotte is a new spin-off from one of Netflix's ever-popular, flagship shows, Bridgerton. The new prequel series tells the story of the young Queen's rise to the very top of the royal ranks through her marriage to King George III, setting up the loveable, scandalous, and pompous Bridgerton universe we were all introduced to in season 1. Honouring the titular character and her exuberant crown is India Ria Amarteifio, who stars alongside Corey Mylchreest as King George. The pair form Bridgerton's latest power couple, fighting prejudice and scandal in a quest for love that completely transforms the regency's reactionary high society. The show features iconic royal film locations in London such as the Ranger's House in Greenwich which was built in 1723 and housed Augusta, Duchess of Brunswick, the elder sister of the real George III. Also featured in the show is Kew Gardens in Richmond, which was often frequented by Queen Charlotte and King George III themselves! Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story premieres on May 4 on Netflix. Don't miss out Bridgerton fans!

Switching over from streaming to the big screen, there are two exciting new films hitting cinemas this month featuring London locations! First up is Love Again, a new rom-com starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Sam Heugan. The pair's characters have both given up on romance until a random text message sets them on track to fall in love all over again. The film shot scenes in London at Hackney Empire Theatre, an iconic London cinema. This romcom also has a final surprise that'll definitely get you in the cinemas, as the film also features Celine Dion (as Celine Dion) and Nick Jonas in an ironic, romantic run-in with Chopra Jonas's character! The film is screening in UK cinemas from May 8.

We're also super excited for another Fast & Furious film this May! Fast X races into UK cinemas on May 19, with Vin Diesel returning as Dom Toretto alongside franchise newcomers Jason Momoa and Brie Larson. You can also expect the whole racing family to return too, including stars such as Michelle Rodriguez, John Cena, Jason Statham, and of course, Toretto's 1970 Dodge Charger. Fast X filmed at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden where a production base was set up before jetting off to film in Italy and Portugal too.

The live-action remake of The Little Mermaid is also set be released in cinemas this month. Having filmed at Pinewood Studios, the production also filmed some scenes in Sardignia, Italy. The magical Disney classic stars Halle Bailey as Ariel and Melissa McCarthy as the wretched witch of the seas, Ursula. Fans of the original will be rushing to see this in cinemas on May 26th so don't miss out!

Filming in London? Find out all you need to know, from tax relief to planning your shoot.

This feature is in partnership with the Greater London Authority. For more information on Film and TV productions currently filming in the capital, head over to the City Hall Blog, updated monthly.