Here’s a First Look at the Upcoming ‘Hershey’ Film

A FILM CREW SHOOTS A SCENE FOR THE HERSHEY FILM IN HARMONY | PHOTO BY MARYALICE REPPERT, ELLA SHIPLEY AND JESSICA SINICHAK

Pittsburghers are one step closer to seeing a sweet local tale on the silver screen. 

Earlier this week, the production company behind “Hershey,” a film about the rise of Milton Hershey’s iconic chocolate brand, released a first look of the movie, which was filmed in and around Pittsburgh. 

Coming to theaters on Thanksgiving, “Hershey” stars Finn Wittrock and Alexandra Daddario as Milton and Catherine “Kitty” Hershey, whose love story sits at the heart of the narrative.

“Just about everyone knows the Hershey name through chocolate, but what immediately drew me to Milton’s story were the obstacles and struggles he overcame to achieve his success. And then, unlike many wealthy men of his time (and ours), he chose to share that success with the working people and the community around him,” Mark Waters, director of “Hershey,” says in a statement. “Together, we’re sharing a uniquely American story about leaving the world better than you found it.”

The film was shot across 17 diverse filming locations in the Keystone State, including Pittsburgh, Hershey, Harmony, Smithfield and Ligonier. A total of 74 meticulously designed sets captured the scale of Milton Hershey’s world, from the chocolatier’s humble beginnings on a Derry Township farm to the rise of his chocolate empire, the Hershey factory town and the philanthropic Milton Hershey School.

Notably, Harmony, a historic village located some 30 miles north of Pittsburgh, was given a Hollywood makeover to take it back in time to the late 19th century. Several thoroughfares were covered in mulch to transform them into dirt roads traversed by horses and buggies, and the Harmony Museum was reimagined as a general store. Another nearby building was transformed into a print-and-binder shop, and Wunderbar Coffee & Crepes, located in a historical opera hall, had its windows and doors painted to turn it into an old-fashioned coffee and tea shop.

A turn-of-the-century version of Bedford Square on the South Side will also appear in the film, as will many parts of Ligonier, which was doubling as a late 1800s and early 1900s Hershey.

Hershey’s legacy is also preserved off-screen through the Milton Hershey School, the bastion of Milton Hershey’s philanthropic endeavors. It was founded in 1909 with money the Hershey family earned through their chocolate company; since then, more than 12,000 children from pre-K through 12th grade have attended the boarding school,with all costs covered. 

According to the school’s website, Milton Hershey believed that every person is “morally obligated to share the fruits of success with others.” 

“That spirit, embodied by the love story between Milton and Catherine Hershey, is the core of our movie,” Waters says.