'So long, Wilmington': Jamie Lee Curtis finishes 'Halloween Kills' filming
WILMINGTON -- Laurie Strode has left the building. Or rather, Jamie Lee Curtis has said goodbye to Wilmington.
The "Halloween Kills" actress announced on Instagram late Thursday that her time in town filming the highly anticipated horror sequel has come to an end. Curtis posted a picture of a riverside meal of chicken and waffles with the caption, "So long, Wilmington. You've been a great host."
She concluded the post by tagging the riverfront restaurant The George on the Riverwalk, saying, "Best food and view and dog friendly nature is @thegeorgeilm."
Curtis has only been filming the sequel to 2018's soft reboot of the Michael Myers saga "Halloween," itself a sequel to the original 1978 classic, for 10 days. She posted a photo of herself in wardrobe as alter ego Laurie Strode on her Instagram on Oct. 8, captioning it, "First day back in the battle for my life!"
The night before, she filmed some bloody scenes at a Cape Fear Community College building at Front and Walnut streets, the exterior of which was turned into Haddonfield Memorial Hospital. Haddonfield is the town at the center of the "Halloween" movies.
Curtis hasn't been the only one giving a peek into the production on social media. Actress Judy Greer, who plays Curtis' on-screen daughter, has posted several behind-the-scenes pictures, one as recently as Thursday showing her hands covered in fake blood.
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During her short stay in Wilmington, Curtis managed to make national news by giving a shoutout to Walking Tall Wilmington, a local nonprofit that feeds the homeless on weekdays under the canopy at the downtown visitors center.
Curtis was walking her dog on Oct. 10 and approached organization founder Randy Evans to talk about what he was doing for the community.
She was so moved by his story, she posted a picture with Evans on Instagram and encouraged her more than 2 million followers to donate to his efforts.
The story and Evans were featured on the HLN cable news network two days later.
The quick week and a half of filming wasn't Curtis' first stint in Wilmington. In 1997, she spent time in the region filming the sci-fi thriller "Virus."
It's not too surprising Curtis wrapped her portion of filming on "Halloween Kills" quickly, as she will likely now head off to promote her new film "Knives Out."
The murder mystery co-starring Chris Evans and Daniel Craig is set to hit theaters Nov. 27.
But "Halloween Kills" will continue on without Curtis. The movie is expected to keep shooting for a few more weeks, on location and on the EUE/Screen Gems Studios lot in Wilmington. The film hits theaters Oct. 16, 2020, followed by "Halloween Ends" on Oct. 15, 2021.
It is not yet known whether the latter film will shoot in Wilmington.
Reporter Hunter Ingram can be reached at 910-343-2327 or Hunter.Ingram@StarNewsOnline.com.