Star-Studded Cold War Spy Thriller To Be Filmed in Seaside Park in July

Daniel Radcliffe (left; Philip Romano CC) and Jonathan Groff (center; The Tony Awards under CC-BY-3.0 Unported) and the Charlroy Motel in Seaside Park (File Photo).

A Vietnam-era spy thriller featuring two major stars will be filmed in Seaside Park later this month, officials confirmed.

The borough council last week approved an application by the producers of the forthcoming movie “Trust The Man” to film at the Charlroy Motel, along the oceanfront, and utilize a borough parking lot as part of the production. Filming will be held July 29, 2026 with a rain date the following day.

In the film, Daniel Radcliffe stars as a lead intelligence officer, joined by Oscar nominee Lucas Hedges and, more recently, Jonathan Groff. Set in 1968, the plot centers on an ambitious Army intelligence officer tasked with investigating a decorated soldier’s mysterious past during the Vietnam War. As surveillance and interrogations intensify, the story explores blurring lines between duty, loyalty and obsession, drawing the two men into a dangerous connection.

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The film was described as a “spy thriller” by Location Manager Sarah Brady Stack, who addressed the borough council at their July 2 meeting.

“In the U.S., there is a soldier that they think is leaking information, and the main character is investigating,” she said. “This piece is, specifically, in Hawaii – and while the Jersey Shore is gorgeous, we’re going to play it for this particular movie in Hawaii.”

The motel will be center in the scene, and traffic will need to be blocked for a few minutes at a time during filming.

“We don’t want any modern cars in the shot because that will obviously give up the illusion that it is 1968,” said Stack, assuring officials that Ocean Avenue will only be cordoned off for short periods of time.

The Charlroy Motel, Seaside Park. (File Photo)

“If someone absolutely needed to get through, if there was an emergency, they would certainly be able to,” she said. “We obviously don’t want to endanger anyone.”

Stack said the film, despite its notable stars, is being produced independently, and the producers would welcome those from the community to look on.

“We do not want our coming here to be a detriment – we want it to be something people are excited about, both the town and the residents, and people who are coming to visit,” she said. “Because we’re a small, independent film we’re more interested in having the community be involved as much as possible – stopping by and seeing things, talking to people, taking tours, we’ll explain what’s going on.”

The producers paid Seaside Park a $1,775 fee for a film permit and about $400 to take up an additional 13 on-street parking spaces. The film permit in Seaside Park is based on a flat fee. The production will utilize Parking Lot 2 along the ocean and will occasionally affect traffic along N. Ocean Avenue between Decatur and Lafayette avenues.

As for where the film can be ultimately seen, no domestic distributor or streaming platform has been announced, and a specific release date is still to be determined. But expectations for a 2026 theatrical or premium platform rollout is typical for such prestige thrillers from independent producers, according to Deadline.