By Krys Estes
Contributing Writer
Movie fans in Wrightsville Beach have an opportunity to see their town on the big screen as it is once again featured in a major motion picture, this time the film adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks’ 2007 novel, “The Choice,” which was released on Feb. 5.
Several pieces of Wrightsville Beach were highlighted in the movie, including the limited-edition print of Lumina Pavilion by Ben Keys, which is sold at Wrightsville Beach Museum and had a prominent placement in the movie. The movie filmed in and around the Wilmington area in October 2014.
One of the other main locations exhibited in the movie is a Wrightsville Beach local eatery, Dockside Waterfront Restaurant Bar and Marina. Virginia Wade Taylor, business manager at Dockside Marina, Inc., said the production team for the movie was looking for a restaurant around the water and they were considered since the restaurant seemed to fit their vision for the film.
Taylor met with production a few times before the team brought Sparks to the restaurant to finalize the deal. Dockside has been an active participant in the film industry dating back to the “Matlock” days and they filmed “The Choice” there for three days, Taylor said.
“We have had a number of TV shows, commercials, and movies film on our property,” Taylor said. “As I feel it is standard with any business, we did get compensated for days we were closed for filming. Several of our employees had the opportunity to be extras in the movie and were so excited to get the chance to be involved.”
Taylor also noted how the filming of the movie impacted the restaurant’s regulars.
“The locals were very curious as to what was going on,” Taylor said. “The crew changed the interior of the bar a bit with added decorations and it was interesting to see people’s reactions that were familiar with us. Since the movie just came out, we haven’t had much reaction from locals recently, but I have a feeling that will change.”
“The Choice,” Sparks’ 11th film adaptation, takes place in Beaufort, North Carolina, and boasts the love story of Travis Shaw and Gabby Holland, two opposite individuals brought together by fate and whose love is challenged by a set of obstacles. The movie grossed over $6 million opening weekend joining the $750 million Sparks’ movies have accumulated in film adaptations.
Sparks, who is one of the best-selling authors in the world and one of the producers of “The Choice,” resides in New Bern, North Carolina. He has sold more than 100 million copies of his romance novels worldwide, in more than 50 languages, as well as over 65 million copies in the United States alone. All of Sparks’ novels have been New York Times bestsellers.
