Have you noticed the barricades downtown? Universal Studios is preparing for the final movie shots in Columbus. East James Street will be used for a scene involving a bank robbery that has gone badly, and one of the Dillinger gang members is injured. Johnny Depp and Michael Mann will be back in town to do this filming. The shooting for this scene will take about ½ day. The downtown will remain open for pedestrian traffic, and mostly open for cars. Semis and large trucks should be following the detours. On the day of the shoot, the whole downtown area will be closed off as it was last time.
There are lots of rumors around town of extravagant amounts of money being paid by Universal Studios to businesses and individuals. Be assured that these are just rumors, and there isn’t a thread of truth to them. The highest payment that I have heard is $1,500 for the rental of the building used to feed the crew the last time they were here. Most businesses and individuals received much less. It’s funny how rumors start and gain a life of their own. Remember that each individual business negotiated a contract with Universal Studios for compensation based on lost store traffic during the filming. The City was not involved in those negotiations.
I plan to hold a listening session next Saturday at the Columbus Library from 11:00 to 1:00. Please stop by to chat if you have a few minutes.
