Fans of suspenseful films and particularly a best-selling novel may want to watch “The Woman in Cabin 10” on Netflix this month. Simultaneously, you’ll get to see a lot of the superyacht Savannah, which plays a central role in the story.
Currently available, the movie is an adaptation of the 2016 novel by the same name. Keira Knightley, Guy Pearce, and Hannah Waddingham are among the stars of the film. Knightley plays a journalist who boards a superyacht in the North Sea for an article about a charity. The charity and the yacht belong to the same person, played by Pearce. One night, she sees a passenger go overboard, but no one believes her. In fact, the captain, the owner, and the others insist that every passenger remains accounted for, which leads to the tense storyline. She becomes determined to uncover what actually occurred.
Filming took place in September 2024, but not in one of the typical cruising destinations. Instead, the superyacht Savannah, the cast, and the crew were in Portland, England. “We were in the English Channel, it was cold,” Knightly laughed, in an interview with Decider. Plus, filming the scenes wasn’t anything like taking a real charter. Seventy people comprised the onboard film crew, for instance, in addition to the yacht’s permanent 25-person captain and crew, Knightley says. About 20 actors, meanwhile, were on the other side of the camera. Furthermore, scenes where she had to run through the decks meant having to avoid damaging anything. “Shooting on a superyacht is not luxurious,” the director, Simon Stone, shared in the same interview.
Despite the shooting not being luxurious, the yacht truly is. For instance, the 274-footer (83.5-meter) has video walls that can display a variety of imagery to suit the mood. A striking rosewood staircase spirals up through the four decks, too. The master suite, meanwhile, not only has a wall of glass, but also a large skylight. On a related note, walls of glass were rare in 2015, the year that Feadship delivered her.
Further notable areas aboard the superyacht Savannah include a “secret room” tucked in the bow. It’s a cozy lounge with V-shaped seating right up against windows to each side. The sensation while underway is like being right atop the water. Finally, the so-called Nemo Room is another observation lounge, partially submerged to provide quite an extraordinary experience.
Too bad Knightley and the rest of the cast didn’t get to enjoy it, though. Referring to her experience with the Pirates of the Caribbean series, she says, “Filming on the pirate ship is easier, because you can break the pirate ship.”
More About the Yacht Savannah
LOA: 273’10” (83.5 meters)
Beam: 41’0” (12.5 meters)
Draft: 12’10” (3.95 meters)
Guests: 12 in 6 staterooms
Engines: 1/2,415-hp Wartsilla w/three gensets and batteries (diesel-electric)
Range: 6,500 nautical miles at 10 knots
Builder: Feadship
Stylist: De Voogt Naval Architects
Naval Architect: De Voogt Naval Architects
Interior Designer: CG Design