There was great excitement amongst some shoppers at the Osoyoos Buy-Low grocery store this past Sunday afternoon as Academy Award-winning actor Nicolas Cage dropped in to purchase a large order of groceries. Cage is seen above with Buy-Low employee Denise Gray. It has been confirmed that Cage was in Osoyoos this past weekend and he’s the lead star in the new Canadian science-fiction thriller called The Humanity Bureau. (Facebook/Mary Fry)
There is a lot of star gazing going on in Osoyoos over the last few days and it has nothing to do with the planets or Milky Way, but everything to do with a Hollywood superstar being spotted in town.
Shoppers at the Osoyoos Buy-Low Grocery store were shocked and surprised when superstar Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage was spotted picking up numerous food items this past Sunday afternoon.
Longtime Buy-Low employee Denise Gray posted a photo of her standing beside Cage at the checkout counter where she was working.
What has been confirmed is that Cage, 52, spent some time in Osoyoos this past weekend while shooting took place in the Canadian-produced film called The Humanity Bureau. The movie has been promoted with a teaser that states, “In the future, our government will decide who is expendable.”
The rumour mill continued Tuesday with suggestions that iconic director and actor Clint Eastwood was was also in Osoyoos and he may be the director of The Humanity Bureau.
There was no confirmation if Eastwood had spent time in Osoyoos as of press deadline on Tuesday afternoon.
The Humanity Bureau is being produced by the Regina film production company called Mind’s Eye Entertainment and rumours are that Mind’s Eye is looking to shoot as many as six science fiction, horror and action films in the Okanagan Valley over the next several months.
Jon Summerland, the executive director with the Okanagan Film Commission, confirmed on Friday that a major movie was being filmed in the Osoyoos area over the next several days, but he did not want to divulge any further information and he would neither confirm or deny that Cage was staying at the Spirit Ridge at Nk’Mip Resort in Osoyoos.
The producers of The Humanity Bureau were expected to release a detailed press release about the movie on Wednesday or Thursday of this week and would be willing to grant media interviews about the movie following issuance of the press release, said Summerland.
Cage, who has acted in more than 80 Hollywood films over the course of his career, is best known for his work in the action thriller Con Air, the Coen Brothers classic comedy Raising Arizona and Leaving Las Vegas, for which Cage received the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Summerland did confirm that several major movie productions are expected to be filmed in various parts of the Okanagan Valley over the next several months. A casting call for The Humanity Bureau was held in Oliver last month.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
