A film set in the beleaguered town centre shopping mall has come just too late to save another long-standing business, which brought its shutters down for a final time at the weekend
Whitgift Centre fan: Rebel Wilson
Croydon’s Whitgift Centre, once the pride of the town but now notorious as the home of “more buckets than businesses”, is being put to some good use this week, as the setting for a movie directed by Hollywood star Rebel Wilson.
Filming of Girl Group, which might be a working title, drew quite an audience of enthusiastic Croydon fans yesterday morning, and the set is expected to be in use the rest of this week, according to remarks made by Wilson to some members of the public watching from the first floor around the stage, which has been set up close to the site of the former Superdry store.
Setting up: work on rigging the set in the Whitgift Centre began last week
Signs around the near-deserted shopping centre read: “Filming In Progress. Businesses open as usual”.
As if.
“We love being here in Croydon,” Wilson shouted out to one fan.
“This is our favourite mall here in Croydon,” said the world-famous comedian…
“We’re here all week,” she told another, and replied, “You have to see,” when asked for more details about the film.
According to some online postings, in the movie Wilson plays a former girl band star from 20 years ago, who is forced to coach a quintet of teenaged wannabes so that they can enter a record label audition.
There is now speculation that Wilson’s surprise appearance on stage at the Reading Festival a fortnight ago with The Kooks might be linked in some way to Girl Group.
On stage: Rebel Wilson at yesterday’s filming in the Whitgift Centre
Australian Wilson, 45, best known for Pitch Perfect, joined the rock band on the Main Stage during their Friday set, where she sang a rendition of Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise.
In a recent interview, Wilson revealed that she never set out to be a comedy actress or writer. In fact, she had aspirations of being like Judi Dench.
“When I started acting, I always wanted to be like Dame Judi, because I thought I was going to be a serious actor. It just turned out that people like laughing at me,” she said in a Grauniad interview.
Wilson has yet to pass any comments about what it’s like getting rained on while filming a movie under a roof.
The arrival of Hollywood to the Whitgift came just too late for another of the shopping centre’s longest-surviving tenants, the English and Continental cafe (up on the first floor, not far from the movie set), which stuck up a farewell notice at the weekend.
“We just want to send a great big thanks to everyone who has been supporting us on this great 30 years journey!” the note stuck to the door says.
Signed by Nuno Afonso, the message continued: “We are going to close English and Continental not by our choice, but because of everything that is happening in the Whitgift shopping centre in general.
“We take many good memories of all of you, our best wishes from our family to you.”
Read more: Ken Towl takes a magical mystery tour around the Whitgift Centre
Read more: Annabel Smith takes a peek behind sad old centre’s curtains
Read more: ‘Permanently closed’: Whitgift Centre works mark end of days
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The Whitgift Centre might be best as a set for Apocalypse Now remake.
Think Johnny Dobbyn cracked the Zombie Apocalypse gag last week, Brian.
I think you are mixing up two very different films with Apocalypse in the title.
Apocalypse Now is set in the Vietnam War jungle.
Another zombie film was indeed set in a deserted US Shopping Mall.
Rebel Wilson seems a very Croydon type of woman
(a) Why are you replying to me, not the main post?
(b) What, in your opinion, is a ‘Croydon type of woman’?
(c) Are you a ‘Croydon type of man`? If so, how would you characterise yourself?
The answer to a) is “New technology baffles pissed old hack”
The horror… the horror…
Kurtz
Mr Meyers, you are incorrect. Rebel Wilson can speak English.
Both shopping mall horror Dawn of the Dead AND Apocalypse Now were referenced in my Whitgift piece last week.
It’s a jungle out there…
Oh, I see that your comparison was to your mission into the Whitgift Centre, in search of Sarah Jones MP’s office, with the US soldiers’ mission to seek out, first through army secrecy, then through the Vietnamese jungle, the errant US General (or whoever he was).
Fair enough!
https://insidecroydon.com/2025/09/05/the-mp-hidden-away-on-third-floor-of-a-deserted-shopping-mall/
I hope Rebel Wilson has good security to stop her being harassed, an umbrella not to get wet from all the leaks and spends time only in the centre for a few days. Plus, this movie project was announced in 2019! Lionsgate will be releasing it and judging by Rebel’s career trajectory probably straight to Netflix or Amazon Prime Video.
Also, if a film studio can rent the Whitgift for filming, why can’t a music promoter rent it for a dance event. Turn the centre in to rave or pop-up club night. Lord knows people we need some nightlife for young people.
I would be happy if it just had shops in it again!
I hope Warner Bros use Croydon for filming part of The Batman Part II. It has that oppressive, faded feel… and Christopher Nolan filmed some of the Arkham Asylum scenes in the old British Telecom building opposite West Croydon bus station…
Is it a disaster movie?
Make sure you rent it next year, on video on demand for £4.99 to find out!