This Halloween, there seem to be more stars than ghosts in Boston.
The crew of the new A24 movie “The Drama,” starring Robert Pattinson and Zendaya, set up shop near South Station at the intersection of High Street and Federal Street on Thursday. Onlookers caught glimpses of Pattinson walking in Downtown Boston, with Zendaya also spotted around town while filming earlier in the week.
While little has been revealed about “The Drama,” the film is directed by Kristoffer Borgli, known for his work on “Dream Scenario” with Nicolas Cage. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the movie follows a couple — played by Pattinson and Zendaya — whose relationship takes a dramatic turn before their big wedding day. The flick is said to be shooting in the Boston area through December, according to Boston.com. Mamoudou Athie and Alana Haim are also in final talks to join the film’s ensemble, per Deadline.
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Hours before filming began, a small crowd began to form, including Victoria Kramenko, who works for a nearby tech company. A “massive” Pattinson fan, she had plans to attend a “Twilight”-themed drag show in Back Bay for Halloween later in the evening. (She’ll be dressed as Buffy the Vampire Slayer alongside a friend dressed as Pattinson’s famed vampire character Edward Cullen.)
“Movies are such a big part of everyone’s lives, and I think it’s really cool to see how they’re made,” said Kramenko.
Kramenko’s coworker, Boston College graduate Jacqueline Cochran, claimed she’s more of a Zendaya fan than a movie buff. She’s been following the actor’s work since her early days on Disney Channel’s “Shake it Up,” and has been excited about the prospect of seeing the star in the Hub.
“I really like the way she carries herself,” Cochran said. “I’ve also never been very close to a movie set, so I figured, why not take advantage of the opportunity?”
The crowd grew once the cameras started rolling. Many locals stopping for lunch in the area poked around in an effort to catch a glimpse of the stars, as the sidewalk on High Street between Federal Street and Summer Street filled up with fans. Many were clad in Halloween costumes, from Minions to the Lorax to the green M&M.
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Paris Inacio rushed down to Federal Street with three friends to catch a glimpse of Pattinson. After 30 minutes of waiting, they were able to watch him film a scene before heading back to work.
”It’s crazy that Boston is such a landmark, but for us, it’s just home, so to see people from Hollywood here is so interesting,” Inacio said.
Inacio was with Ava Dodge, who was excited to have finally seen a movie set in person.
”I feel like so many movies are filmed in Boston but I never actually go and get to see some of the stars in the movies so it was such a cool experience,” Dodge said.
Both actors have recently been seen filming throughout Boston for “The Drama,” with Zendaya notably spotted on Newbury Street earlier in the month. The “Spider-Man” and “Dune” star seems to be a Tatte fan, with a TikTok user sharing a video of Zendaya at the popular coffee shop’s Beacon Hill location earlier this week. Zendaya was seen at a Tatte in 2022 with her longterm boyfriend and fellow “Spider-Man” star Tom Holland, and did some shopping on Newbury Street, when she was in the Boston area filming the steamy 2024 tennis flick “Challengers.”
Emily Wyrwa can be reached at emily.wyrwa@globe.com. Follow her @emilywyrwa. Sabrina Lam can be reached at sabrina.lam@globe.com.