English actor Tom Hiddleston has been spotted in Queenstown this week as he films a movie playing New Zealand’s greatest mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary.

Hiddleston stars as the Kiwi legend in the biopic of Hillary’s sherpa climbing companion Tenzing Norgay, who completed the world first summit of Mt Everest, with Hillary, in 1953.

In the Herald exclusive photographs, taken near The Remarkables this week, Hiddleston is seen in cold weather gear with a bag slung around his shoulder.

Staff unloading old style hiking equipment for the upcoming movie, near The Remarkables. Photo / Supplied

Film crew are pictured offloading props and equipment, including old-style climbing gear, from helicopters.

Shooting of the movie, Tenzing, is believed to have taken place on Single Cone.

More equipment for filming being offloaded from helicopters in Queenstown. Photo / Supplied

Before arriving at The Remarkables, filming took place on Aoraki/Mt Cook.

The Department of Conservation (DoC) announced in June that it had approved filming on Malte Brun Pass near the Tasman Glacier and near the Hochstetter Icefall on the eastern side of the mountain.

The location will “double” as Everest base camp and the famous Hillary Step on the world’s highest peak, said DoC.

The film also stars Oscar-winner Willem Dafoe as Colonel John Hunt, the British Army officer who led the expedition.

Genden Phuntsok plays the titular sherpa, while Irish actor Caitríona Balfe features as Jill Henderson, the secretary of the Himalayan Club and a friend of Norgay’s who helped organise journeys up Mt Everest.

Tenzing is produced by See-Saw Films, which also produced Oscar-winning movie The King’s Speech and Jane Campion film The Power of the Dog.

The film’s rights belong to Apple, after its film studio, Apple Studios LLC, won an auction at the Cannes Film Festival, in May last year.

Australian documentarian Jennifer Peedom is directing the picture.

Peedom is best known for her 2015 documentary Sherpa which was nominated for best documentary at the 2016 Baftas.

The script has been written by fellow Australian Luke Davies, whose 2016 film Lion received an Oscar nomination for best adapted screenplay.

Before New Zealand, filming was in Nepal.