The movie ‘Kyla & Lu,’ also known as ‘Wildfire,’ starring Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, is set to start filming in Hawaii on October 30, 2023. The film is set primarily on the Hawaiian islands of Maui and Oahu and centres on seven-year-old Lu, who unintentionally ignites a wildfire. The logline describes how Lu, who is deaf and comes from a violent household, “slyly tricks Merribelle, a hard-working trans woman, into kidnapping her, sparking a beautifully unexpected bond with a devastating expiration date.”
SAG-AFTRA granted the filmmakers permission to proceed with the movie’s casting. However, the anticipated filming in Hawaii may be impacted by the lack of a dispensation from the union to move through with the production. Additionally, the production may be delayed by the wildfires that the state experienced, particularly in Maui. A few of the projects shot in Maui are “The White Lotus,” “Oblivion,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” Ang Lee’s “Hulk,” etc. ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,’ ‘Murder Mystery 2,’ ‘NCIS: Hawai’i,’ ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer,’ and other films have all been filmed on Oahu in the past.
The film is directed by Shiri Appleby, best known for her role as Liz Parker in the science fiction series “Roswell.” The actress-director is renowned for directing numerous episodes of ‘Grown-ish,’ ‘Young Sheldon,’ ‘Unprisoned,’ ‘New Amsterdam,’ ‘The Wonder Years,’ ‘UnREAL,’ etc. in addition to a number of playing roles. She has also directed episodes of “Minx,” “Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists,” “Black-ish,” and “Queens.”