Mark Wahlberg to film new comedy in Swampscott

SWAMPSCOTT – His Academy Award-winning hit “The Fighter” was set against the grit of mid-1980s Lowell.But for a comedy about a man and his teddy bear, Mark Wahlberg is heading to Swampscott.Film location scouting firm Thunder Buddies LLC and Town Administrator Andrew Maylor confirmed that Wahlberg’s new film “Ted” will be filmed at a home in Swampscott during the first week in May.”It’s Mark Wahlberg, so it’s obviously a pretty significant production which will be commercially distributed and it’s neat to have it here,” said Maylor. “We’ve got a number of different moving parts, but the production location company is taking a lot of control of things.”Wahlberg plays a Boston man who, as a child, makes a wish that his teddy bear be brought to life. The wish is granted and, decades later, the two remain best friends, according to film production company Media Rights Capital.But this is no children’s movie.The movie is the feature-film directorial debut of Seth MacFarlane, the creator of the animated hit comedy “Family Guy.”MacFarlane also wrote the script with “Family Guy” writers Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild, according to the production company.So, while Wahlberg’s character has become a responsible adult, his fond furry (and computer animated) friend is a foul-mouthed slacker voiced by MacFarlane.This complicates things between Wahlberg’s character and his love interest played by Mila Kunis, who recently was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her role in “Black Swan” and is the voice of Meg Griffin on “Family Guy.”The filming is scheduled for the nights of May 4, 5, and 6 at 441 Atlantic Avenue, near the Marblehead line, said Maylor.He said that there would be two nights of filming inside the home and one night of exterior shots. He added that the police and public works departments are both working with the production company to ensure that there are few disruptions.He anticipated that the size of the shoot – which may include up to 100 extras plus the film crews and other actors – will be mitigated by its late-night schedule.”It’s a fairly big shoot, a lot of people involved. There will be a lot that needs to be coordinated,” he said. “There may be some minor traffic impact, maybe a lane closed, but we will work out the details with police,” said Maylor.A representative from the location scouting company anticipated that the biggest disruption would be curiosity piqued by the filming. He added that the company would begin to pass out flyers in a couple of weeks about the shoot to homes in the surrounding neighborhood. The company is also looking for a location where they can feed the cast and crew. Maylor said that he is negotiating with the School Committee about whether the film can use the high school cafeteria.Unfortunately, however, Swampscott’s big-screen moment will be brief.”Ninety-five percent of the movie is scheduled to be filmed in Boston,” said the location scouts.