The recordings of a series set in the universe of Star Wars in the Castle of Xátiva (Valencia) have already started. During the last days, the vehicles that transported all the necessary material have been going in and out of the Setabense fortress, which has remained tightly armored since the beginning of the week.. Thus, workers from a surveillance company have arranged several security filters at the entrances of the Castle and they only allow vehicles authorized by the production company responsible for the filming to pass. As announced by Levante-EMV, from the Prensa Ibérica group, the historic complex of the capital of La Costera has been chosen to film scenes from the second season of the serie Andorwhich has also landed on the City of Arts and Sciences of Valencia in the last weeks.
At the moment, the recordings on Setabense soil are not causing the arrival of many curious people to Xátiva. Of course, the Castle area is frequented daily by walkers and runners, who have seen how these days they have had to change their routines due to the arrival of cameras and actors. “I was running through the area and suddenly a convoy with ten or twelve trucks appeared going up to the Castle. Most of them said Autocares Demetrio, but there were also unmarked vehicles. It is seen that they carried quite a lot of material. They were going pretty fast and all together. The effect was as if a freight train passed by,” an athlete who was yesterday at 11 pm in the vicinity of the fortress explained to this newspaper.
The sources consulted by this newspaper suggest that a plot is being filmed in a kind of intergalactic market
The secrecy about the plot, as it happens in the capital of Túria, is total. However, the sources consulted by this newspaper have explained that the recordings that will take place in Xátiva seem to be framed in a kind of intergalactic market. They are not strange scenes in the universe of one of the most famous sagas in the history of cinema. The sale of gadgets on the black market or in street stalls already appears in many plots, whether they are movies or comics, for example. The protagonists make contact in this type of scenario with criminals and knaves of all kinds, thus expanding the variety of scenes and the cast of characters. Not everything can be epic, jedi fights with lightsabers or blaster shots. In fact, two of the planets where the plot of Andor takes place – Coruscant and Corellia – have prolific black markets. Everything indicates that the Castle of Xátiva would be located in one of those scenarios.
More than 27,000 euros
The closure of the Castle of Xátiva for the recordings of the Star Wars series coincides with days belonging to the high season of the Easter. Therefore, the responsible producer has had to face the payment of 27,563.73 euros, according to a file to which this newspaper has had access. Said figure is divided into the 5,005.80 euros belonging to the rate of special use of the public domain and for the realization of private acts in the fortress, the 8,339 euros set in the compensation in favor of the consistory for tickets to access the Castle unsold and the 14,218.93 in compensation for the closure of the facilities of the Castillo cafeteria restaurant between April 2 and 6. departments of Heritage, Urbanism or Tourism They issued reports about it.
In fact, in the official profile of the Talaia del Castell restaurant they have confirmed the closure of their premises between April 2 and 6 on their official social media profiles. “As many of you already know, next week a film shoot will take place in our castle (Yes yes, we have the Disney+ production company filming part of the second season of the Andor series of the Star Wars saga). We have no other choice no choice but to apologize, since La Talaia del Castell will remain closed. We will return on Friday, April 7 with our batteries charged and all our strength,” they explain in a Facebook post.
guidance signs
During the last days, At the entrances to Xátiva and some roundabouts and crossroads in the town, guidance signs have appeared for the vehicles belonging to the filming. On a pink background and with messages such as “EE Base”, they have been a harbinger of the landing of the fleet of workers. However, in some cases the vandals have not hesitated to act and have decided to remove them.
Although the presence of the filming of the Star Wars series is presented with a notable element of short, medium or long-term promotion for the city, some voices have questioned the choice of dates on social networks. Everything indicates that the production company wanted to link the filming in Valencia with that of the capital of the Costera, to squeeze resources. In fact, the parking areas near the Castle also have restricted use. And the parking area of the volleyball pavilion located on the road to the Lluís Alcanyís hospital has been invaded by rented vans for film production. The Local Police of Xátiva has placed a sign in the place with a clear message: “Operative Film”.
However, on social networks such as Twitter, some users have taken advantage of the occasion and have alerted about the state of the city’s Arab baths, one of the historical sites of Xátiva that could replace the Castle as a tourist attraction during these days in which the fortress is armored. In fact, for April 6, tourist visits to this space and the Roman nymphaeum are offered. It never rains to everyone’s liking.
The Castell de Xátiva has become this week the set of a series of worldwide scope. The city has already been the scene of other shoots before.