New Peak District feature film to shoot in 2026: The Search for Gillian Gold

PRE-PRODUCTION ANNOUNCEMENT — THE SEARCH FOR GILLIAN GOLD

Wirksworth-based filmmaker Stuart Wheeldon has announced his next feature film, The Search for Gillian Gold, now in pre-production and scheduled to shoot in early 2026 across Derbyshire and the Peak District, ahead of a late 2026 release.

Blending slow-burn mystery with procedural tension, the film follows an archivist investigating the disappearance of journalist Gillian Gold. Rumours of strange lights over the moors give way to a far more bureaucratic explanation — one where disappearance is administrative rather than supernatural.

“It was important to root the film here,” says Wheeldon. “Derbyshire’s landscapes are cinematic in a way that isn’t overused — the moors, the industrial remnants, the ancient stone sites. They give the story both scale and history.”

Shooting will take place at Middleton Moor, Wirksworth and the ancient stone circle at Doll Tor, with casting now underway. The production is also seeking potential co-production partners and will launch a crowdfunding campaign later this year to support development and the shoot.

Tagline:

“Some disappear. Others are removed.”

Logline:

When a journalist vanishes, an archivist follows her trail into a world where truth is managed, legacy is inconvenient, and the missing are neither dead nor alive — just no longer recorded.

Note for diary:

• Shoot early 2026
• Release late 2026
• Crowdfunding campaign forthcoming
• Currently exploring co-production