TV show about hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan films in Warwick

BY ERIKA NORTON
WARWICK — Railroad Avenue in Warwick was lined with vintage cars and a Greyhound bus on Tuesday as a production crew filmed a scene for an upcoming TV show for streaming service Hulu.
The 10-part docuseries, titled “Wu-Tang: An American Saga,” will be about the formation and rise of Wu-Tang Clan, the popular 1990s hip-hop group from Staten Island, according to permit requests filed with the Village of Warwick.

Production crew members dressed the front of the Better Homes and Garden building to resemble a 1980 bus station. Two vintage buses and 15 vintage cars lined the street, while extras at the station wore period clothing and carried retro suitcases.
“The scene takes place in 1980 and is a flashback to the main character's childhood where he was sent from Staten Island to live with his uncle on a farm and where he learns work ethic,” according to permit documents.
There were roughly 45 background actors, two main actors and a crew of 75 people scheduled for the day from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday. Warwick police were on site to make sure things went smoothly.
There was also a group of film production students from Warwick Valley High School invited by the production company to visit the set. The company also promised the high school a donation that will go toward a scholarship, according to the district.
Actor Stephen McKinley Henderson (“Fences”) who plays Uncle Hollis was seen on set, as well as a child actor.
Warwick residents on social media claimed to have seen Wu-Tang members RZA and Method Man in town during the shoot.
Both RZA and Method Man serve as executive producers for the show, along with Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo, according to IMDb. Peer members Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, GZA, and the estate of Ol’ Dirty Bastard are set as the consulting producers of the series.
The show stars Ashton Sanders (“Moonlight”), Shameik Moore (“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”), Siddiq Saunderson (“Messiah”), Marcus Callender (“Power”), Zolee Griggs (“Ballers”) and Erika Alexander (“Get Out”).
Hulu has not yet announced a premiere date for the series.
This is not the first time Railroad Avenue has been used as a filming location. Last September, a Crunch Bar commercial was filmed on the same street, also with a vintage car.