For the first time in more than a decade, West Covina will play host to a film production large enough to require a permit from the city Planning Commission.

Independent filmmaker and actress Justine Bateman proposed to shoot her first feature film, “Violet,” starring Olivia Munn and Justin Theroux, at a home on Wrede Way between July and August. The Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the “major production film permit” for Bateman at its meeting Tuesday.

A filmmaker is set to shoot her first feature film at the J.M. Roberts Residence, a home designed by architect Richard Neutra, in West Covina. (Courtesy of Cameron Carothers)

A filmmaker is set to shoot her first feature film at the J.M. Roberts Residence, a home designed by architect Richard Neutra, in West Covina. (Courtesy of Cameron Carothers)

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A filmmaker is set to shoot her first feature film at the J.M. Roberts Residence, a home designed by architect Richard Neutra, in West Covina. (Courtesy of Cameron Carothers)

A filmmaker is set to shoot her first feature film at the J.M. Roberts Residence, a home designed by architect Richard Neutra, in West Covina. (Courtesy of Cameron Carothers)

A filmmaker is set to shoot her first feature film at the J.M. Roberts Residence, a home designed by architect Richard Neutra, in West Covina. (Courtesy of Cameron Carothers)



What drew Bateman to West Covina was specifically a midcentury modern home, known as the J.M. Roberts Residence, designed by renowned architect Richard Neutra.

“It was very exciting to find this house,” Bateman said at Tuesday’s meeting. “The house represents the peaceful portion of the main character’s life.”

Despite its architectural significance, the house isn’t particularly well known in West Covina. The house is surrounded by trees and thick shrubs and is tucked away off of the cul de sac at the end of Wrede Way.

“I’ve been on the Planning Commission 10 years and never knew it was there,” Commissioner Don Holtz said.

The 2,580-square-foot Roberts Residence underwent a two-plus-year renovation before being sold by Nate Cole at Unique California Property/Coldwell Banker in 2017 for $1.725 million.

While all filming that goes on in West Covina — primarily for short segments of television shows and commercials — requires permits, most require only a sign-off from planning staff as long as they adhere to a handful of rules, said planning manager Jo-Anne Burns. Standard filming permits allow for no more than three days of filming at a residential property with no filming later than 9 p.m. and no more than five days of filming at a commercial property.

Bateman intends to film July 29-Aug. 8, starting at 7 a.m. each day and up to 4:30 a.m. the next day twice and until 10 p.m. on five other occasions. That more intense schedule necessitated the Planning Commission weighing in, Burns said.

Most of the filming will take place indoors and without exterior lighting, Bateman said. The one major outdoor scene, depicting a barbecue, won’t have music playing because it would interfere with recording dialogue, she said.

“It’ll be quieter than if your neighbor was having a party,” Bateman said.

There’s no timetable yet for when the film will be released to the public, Bateman said. The film does not yet have a distributor, and Bateman said she hopes to sell it at one of the major film festivals, such ase Sundance, Cannes or Toronto.

Commission chair Herb Redholtz asked Bateman if West Covina would be mentioned in the film’s credits, to which she enthusiastically said yes.

“So long as we’re known for more than ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,’ that’s the big thing,” Redholtz said with a laugh. “We’re moving up.”