O'Connell Street turned into a movie set last (Sat) night!

vibe666

I was in the Savoy last night watching 'The Village' and when I came out there was all sorts of stuff being put up on O'Connell St, between the Savoy and Burger King, to make it look like an American Street, including quite a few awnings for shops (a big one for the chinese above BK) and some road signs including a big yellow traffic light pole ala just about every american movie ever.

there was even a bus stop.

not sure how convincing O'Connell Street is going to be as (I'm assuming) New York or some other such place, but they were really getting into it with the props.

the only clue to what movie it might be for is that there was a poster on the bus stop for The Longest Yard which is a remake of a 70's movie about prison inmates playing american football against the guards. has adam sandler, chris rock and burt reynolds in it. it might just have been part of one of the props to make it look like whatever movie it was supposed to be was set in 2005 when The Longest Yard is released, or it might have been to let people know what was going on. seems weird though to use dublin as a set for a US city.

anyone know any more about it? i know we have a few movie extras who browse the boards from time to time.

Pigman II

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=1892406&posted=1#post1892406

Hagar

AFAIK they are doing a remake of the film "The Honeymooners" originally staring Jackie Gleason.

lodgepole

Hagar wrote:

AFAIK they are doing a remake of the film "The Honeymooners" originally staring Jackie Gleason.

That's what it was. It stars Cedric the Entertainer. There's a casting call for extras too, if you want a bit of easy cash.

Pigman II

That would make good sense as Paramount are behind both 'The Longest Yard' and 'The Honeymooners'

The IMDB page for Honeymooners also lists Ireland as a filming location.

But where did 'HM Films' the come from? IMDB seems to list 'Deep River Productions'.

vibe666

aha, that'll be it then. good cross referencing Pigman.

segadreamcast

Today it was full of yellow taxis, two New York style (white and blue) buses and was mostly sealed off. It seemed as though they were setting up to film then...

On my approach I thought maybe the Savoy were setting up for a Collateral premiere with all the cabs - but it wasn't even outside the Savoy, moreso focussed on BK and Gresham News. It'll be interesting to see anyway!

ixoy

Here we go, lots of details about the production in today's Indo:

Cops, cabs and comedy as Big Apple movie hits town

SUNDAY shoppers were confronted with a line of New York City cabs, a street sign pointing to 6th Avenue and an American cop hanging around in the sunshine on Dublin's O'Connell Street yesterday.

To any bystander, the scene looked like a busy morning in midtown Manhattan. 'The Brooklyn Rail' was selling on the newstand, "I Love NYC" posters decorated shopfronts, and hassled commuters pushed their way through crowded sidewalks on their way to work.

But behind them, producers of Danny Jacobson's $35m (€29m) film 'The Honeymooners' sat huddled under umbrellas to escape the sun, hoping that Dublin will look like a busy morning in Manhattan when their movie hits the big screen.

'The Honeymooners' will be filming in Dublin until mid-October and is Ireland's largest movie production of 2004.

The Paramount Pictures film is a comedy based on a hugely popular '50s American sitcom in which the lead characters Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleeson), a New York City bus driver, and his friend Ed Norton (Art Carney), a city sewer worker, get tangled up in shaky get-rich-quick schemes.

"We're shooting on average two and a half minutes a day here - that's a good day for this kind of picture," said Irish co-producer Paul Myler on set yesterday.

Producers said that over the next six weeks, Dublin's O'Connell Street will be transformed into Manhattan, the Phoenix Park will become Sunset Park in Brooklyn and Shelbourne Park will be a dog track in New Jersey.

"The LA producers had originally planned to shoot the film in the States or Canada but they came to Ireland because it's a lot less expensive recreating New York scenes here than New York itself," Mr Myler added.

'The Honeymooners' will hit Irish cinemas next summer.

Blisterman

How would you be an extra in it?

smoke.me.a.kipper

i was on the way to paddy casey last night, and not having been in dublin for a few months, was heard to remark, its getting very 'american' these days after seeing the yellow 'dont walk' signs.

egan007

anyone take any pics?

doh.ie

ixoy wrote:

Here we go, lots of details about the production in today's Indo:

I would have said that making O'Connell St look like a Manhattan street was next to impossible - certainly if the Spire found its way into any wide shot! - but then they did turn Parnell St into a passable New York facade for In America... Wouldn't mind seeing how this was possible, though. There's just so much on that street that *doesn't* pass for a more metropolitan American look...

Blisterman

Did they not shoot that in New York?

mycroft

Did they not shoot that in New York?

Nope the majority of "In America" and "Laws of Attraction" were shot in dublin including most exteriors. Some stuff was shot in New York in both cases, but the bulk of both were shot here

Hagar

Some of the shots, ie the train, are being done indoors in the Independent Building in Abbey Street. There is a vintage railway carriage constructed in what used to be the old print room. The carriage was built from scartch and is very convincing. The inside is perfect. I understand it has already been sold.