GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) — A film crew has transformed the Magnolia Room in Gulfport into a Hamptons hot spot for the movie “The Sleeping Dogs of Southampton.”
David Lipper is producing the film, which he described as a thriller.
“This is a film that I say is a cross between Wall Street and Indecent Proposal,” Lipper said.
Lipper described the film’s plot.
“Two investment bankers from New York are locked in a battle of a deal, and also the battle over a woman. I don’t really wanna say much more than that. You’re gonna have to watch the movie to find out,” Lipper said.
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The story is set in New York, but cameras are rolling on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Biloxi native Savannah Belcher has a role as a bartender in the movie and is also helping produce it. Belcher has worked in the film industry since 2022.
“Awesome to be able to do the career that I love in my hometown,” Belcher said.
“I have been able to work my way up. I’m now producing some of my own projects, so it’s really been a dream come true,” Belcher said.
Belcher said the production is bringing money into local businesses.
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“We really have a footprint here. All of our local hotels, all of our Airbnbs, condos, are being booked out by our whole production,” Belcher said.
Production began earlier this month, with scenes filmed in Gulfport, Biloxi and Ocean Springs. Producers said this is the final week of filming and the movie could be released in late 2027 or early 2028.
Producer Kipp Tribble said the Coast’s scenery can stand in for locations beyond the area.
“The houses that we were able to get look like the Hamptons. The beaches look like the Hamptons — maybe minus the palm trees — but it really speaks to the versatility of the area,” Tribble said.
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