Downtown St. Charles takes center stage for Netflix movie

Those stopping in Forever Yogurt in downtown St. Charles in the next few days might be able to catch a film being made.

Filming is set to continue through Sunday on award-winning director David Fincher’s upcoming Netflix noir thriller “The Killer.” With movie lights set up in front of Forever Yogurt, the store is in the middle of the action.

“The Killer” is being filmed at night.

“We have to keep our interior lights on,” said manager Darcy Brown, a longtime St. Charles resident. “And there was a question whether our exterior lights would stay on or off. And the director decided to leave them all on.”

The film stars Michael Fassbender, known for playing the character Magneto in the “X-Men” movies. He plays a contract killer in the movie, which is based on a French graphic novel.

Actress Tilda Swinton also is part of the cast.

Fincher is known for films such as “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Gone Girl” and “Fight Club.”

Brown had nothing but compliments for the lighting crew, who lent a hand March 10 when she had to bring supplies into her store.

“All the crew came out to my car and brought all the stuff from my car into the store for me,” she said.

[ St. Charles road closures extended to accommodate additional filming ]

The crew also left sizable tips for the store’s employees, including Brown’s daughter, who was working at the store March 10.

“The first guy who came in the store was like, ‘I’ve never been in a place like this and I just want to support local businesses,’ ‘’ Brown said. “So that was really nice.”

Brown said she hopes to catch a glimpse of Swinton.

“I was hoping to see David Fincher last night,” she said. “He was supposed to walk around to tell us whether he wanted the outside lights off or on. But then he must have just decided it without having to come in.”

A photo of Swinton standing in front of the Double Take Consignment store in downtown St. Charles has been circulating on social media. Unfortunately, owner Tammi Rojek was at her store in Crystal Lake at the time and missed seeing her.

“I’m hoping the cast stops in here so we can get some pictures with them,” she said.

Double Take Consignment opened its doors in December at 122 W. Main St., which formerly housed Stanbridge Master Saddlers. Rojek is excited about the movie being filmed in downtown St. Charles, even though it might be harder for shoppers to get around because of the road closures caused by the filming.

“We are hoping that people will still come out and support local businesses,” Rojek said.

Much of the filming will take place at the historic Hotel Baker, which was built in 1928 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Paris, New Orleans and the Dominican Republic also will serve as backdrops for the movie.