At some stage in the past, filmmakers seriously wanted to film one of the “Star Wars” movies on land belonging to the Queen of England. The news recently came out when an estate spokesman was speaking about the filming of “Goodbye Christopher Robin,” the new "Winnie the Pooh" film that was filmed in a forested area of Windsor Great Park in Berkshire.

Explaining that the 5,000-acre park was often used as a film set, Nick Day, head of commercial operations for the Crown Estate, went on to tell the story of the “Star Wars” filming request, which was firmly turned down.

Readers can see the park in a trailer for "Goodbye Christopher Robin" below.

Park heads not turned by big names or star films

Day went on to tell the BBC that their collective head is not “turned by star names or star films,” saying the scenes the filmmakers were planning just weren’t suitable for the park. He said “Star Wars” was a “huge thing” and that the risks entailed in the filming were simply too great. According to Day, the area of the park chosen for the filming was not suitable for the large number of people they wanted to place there.

Saying their priority is to protect and maintain Windsor Great Park, Day added they are happy to allow film crews, if they can be sure the risks to the park are minimal.

However he called “Star Wars” a “huge machine” that would draw much outside interest, which wasn’t right for the park. While Day wouldn’t name the actual “Star Wars” movie in question, he did say the request came some years ago.

Popular filming location

Day said the park has several different areas that are suitable for film locations, including forests, parkland, and farmland and that Windsor Great Park is located close to Pinewood Studios, making it very convenient.

They reportedly turned down around eight out of every 10 requests for filming in the park, no matter what the budget is for the film. While it is a commercial operation, he said if the filming doesn’t work for them, then it doesn’t matter who wants to film there, saying dollars, big names and bright lights will not sway them in their decision.

Windsor Great Park and the movies

To get an idea of the type of films that were successful in gaining Windsor Great Park as a Filming Location, the rock concert scene in the recent “Bridget Jones’s Baby” was filmed in a farmer’s field, while “The Legend of Tarzan” filmed the scenes for the River Congo in the Obelisk Pond in the park. However, no Jedi or other "Star Wars" character is likely to ever set foot there. According to the Telegraph, who wittily titled their report “Empire strikes back,” a portion of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” was also filmed in the park.
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