Film scenes to be shot at Richard Dunn Sports centre

The former Richard Dunn Sports Centre will be used as a film set.

A letter on paper headed '28 Years Later Ltd' to people who live on Sunny Bank Road, which is close to the old sports centre, outlines the planned filming.

Trucks and workers have been spotted around the Richard Dunn site this week.

One resident told the T&A: “At first we were a bit concerned with what was going on.

“But we’ve found out that they’ll be filming on September 24th and 25th, and one of the exterior scenes you’ll be able to see part of Sunny Bank Road.”

Trucks at the site (Image: Newsquest)

In the letter addressed to residents, the letter explains: “This is a courtesy letter to inform you that a production crew will be coming to the Richard Dunn Sports Centre towards the end of September to film scenes for two days for an exciting new feature film.

“We intend to start our preparation work on Monday, September 2, and want to make you aware that we plan to use the entrance to Sunny Bank Road to access the sports centre.

“Our activities here should not cause you any great inconvenience and we will always endeavour to keep the presence of our impact to a minimum.

“There will be 24-hour security cover on the site from Monday, September 2, through until Friday, October 4.

“On one of our filming days we would like to film an exterior scene outside the back of the sports centre which will see parts of Sunny Bank Road in the back of the shot.

“We will follow up with another letter giving more information about this closer to the time.

Vehicles at the site (Image: Newsquest)

“We are working with both the Bradford Film Office and Bradford City Council and are looking forward to bringing this film to the iconic sports centre and Bradford.”

The letter, signed by the location manager, adds: “We look forward to meeting you at some point.”

A Bradford Council spokesperson said:  “We have allowed a leading film production company to utilise the former Richard Dunn site to shoot film scenes as part of an exciting film production.”

Filming has been underway for a second sequel to Danny Boyle's critically acclaimed horror epic, 28 Days Later, which reset the zombie genre for the 21st Century by making victims of the 'rage virus' move quickly.

Despite being shot on a low budget - and with digital equipment - 28 Days Later was a huge success when it opened in 2002 and led to a sequel 28 Weeks Later which continued the story as the virus spread beyond Britain's shores.

Horror fans have been lobbying for an update ever since and 28 Years Later will bring the story bang up to date.

According to IMDB: "Originally, the follow-up was set to be titled "28 Months Later", continuing with the movie's timeline-set title motif. However, after so much time had passed since we last returned to this world in 2007 (28 Weeks Later), it was deemed more appropriate to name the film "28 Years Later"."

It will star Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, Cillian Murphy, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson and is expected to be released in summer 2025. 

It's understood there is also a sequel to 28 Years Later called 28 Years Later II: The Bone Temple and filming is already underway for that. 

It will be directed by Nia DaCosta, from a screenplay by Alex Garland.