Woody Allen to film movie in Rhode Island

PROVIDENCE - Woody Allen plans to shoot his next film this summer in the Rhode Island.

Few details about the movie have been released, but it will star Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone.

"We were aggressive behind the scenes to have them take a look at Rhode Island," said Steve Feinberg, executive director of Rhode Island's Film and TV Office.

Feinberg said it worked.

It's not publicly known where filming will take place, but one specific location was scouted out: the University of Rhode Island.

"Through that experience, I think there was a certain amount of trust, and they gained a sense of what Providence was like, North Kingstown, Newport and the surrounding areas," Feinberg said.

Feinberg said he's been sworn to secrecy about locations. But there is a timetable for shooting.

"They're prepping now. Offices just opened up. It's going to start filming in July, through August. They'll be wrapping in the middle of September," Feinberg said.

Feinberg said Allen's film will be eligible for Rhode Island's 25 percent film tax credit, which after it was capped several years ago, is less competitive than states like Massachusetts and New York.

"We've seen somewhat of a reduction in our film production, here in our state. So, it's a lot of effort that goes into bringing someone of Woody's talent to the state of Rhode Island," Feinberg said.

He said when it came to bringing Allen's film here, tax incentive was secondary.

"So that didn't really come into play until they liked it creatively," Feinberg said.

That means it was the appeal of Rhode Island's landscape that won out -- a landscape that will once again take center stage.

"We've gone from Wes Anderson to Woody Allen. It's pretty cool for the state of Rhode Island," Feinberg said. (Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom" was shot in Rhode Island in 2011.)

There is no word on the plot or title of the film or when it will hit theaters.