TNT's 'Dallas' will indeed shoot in Dallas

This just in from the Dallas Film Commission:

Warner Horizon Television has selected Dallas as the location for the pilot of TNT’s new incarnation of the popular television drama Dallas. Executive producer Cynthia Cidre, who wrote The Mambo Kings and executive produced the television series Cane, wrote the pilot based on characters created by David Jacobs. Michael M. Robin (The Closer, Rizzoli & Isles, Nip/Tuck) who also executive produces will direct.

The original Dallas ran from 1978 to 1991 and followed the Ewing family of Southfork. The new version will focus on the Ewing offspring; J.R. Ewing’s son John Ross (Josh Henderson of Desperate Housewives), and Christopher, the adopted son of Bobby and Pam Ewing (Jesse Metcalfe of Desperate Housewives) — as they clash over the family dynasty’s future. Jordana Brewster (Fast & Furious) stars as Elena, who is involved in a love triangle with Christopher and John Ross. Julie Gonzalo (Veronica Mars) stars as Christopher’s fiancée Rebecca. The updated Dallas will feature original series stars Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray. Hagman gained worldwide fame for his portrayal of oil baron J.R. Ewing. Gray played J.R.’s wife Sue Ellen Ewing, while Duffy portrayed J.R.’s younger brother Bobby.

"We are so excited that we get to shoot the pilot episode of Dallas in Dallas,” said Cidre and Robin. “The city has changed so much since the original series and we can't wait to show our audience the fun, the culture, the architecture, the restaurants, the landscapes and the people that make Dallas such a vibrant and cinematic city." The pilot alone is expected to have a significant financial impact on the city and create many jobs for crew, actors, extras and vendors. Pre-production will start immediately, with shooting set to begin in late April.

The Dallas Film Commission is the official film commission for the Greater Dallas area. It mission includes marketing and promoting the area to content creators; serving as the primary liaison between the industry, government and the community as well as educating, promoting and advocating for growth of the local industry. In November 2009 the film commission transitioned to the City of Dallas Office of Economic Development to provide a more synergistic approach to growing the City’s targeted media industries, which has resulted in an unprecedented increase in production, particularly in television.

Warner Horizon Television (WHTV) is one of the industry’s fastest-growing television companies, specializing in the creation of scripted series for cable and primetime reality series for both network and cable. Founded in 2006, this second production entity allows the Warner Bros. Television Group to expand its programming offerings and explore creative options made possible under a new business model. WHTV is currently producing more than a dozen projects. Its unscripted shows include The Bachelor; The Bachelorette; Bachelor Pad and the upcoming Take the Money and Run for ABC; The Voice for NBC and Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew for MTV, among others. Scripted programs from WHTV include Rizzoli & Isles and Memphis Beat for TNT, Pretty Little Liars and the upcoming The Lying Game for ABC Family.

J.R. does 'Dallas'; will 'Dallas' do Dallas?

This just in from The Hollywood Reporter: Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray will reprise their Dallas roles in TNT's reboot of the series, which this time is focused on the kids. Also in the cast are Josh Henderson (Desperate Housewives) and Jordana Brewster (Fast & Furious) as a couple of those crazy Ewing kids.

Earlier reports had Hagman, aka J.R. Ewing unlikely to join the crew after money haggles. Now the big question remains: how much of Dallas will shoot in the actual Dallas? Don't be surprised if that's the clarion call for efforts to keep the Texas film incentives program fully funded by the Texas Legislature.

TNT's 'Dallas' looms, but will it shoot in Big D?

Still no word on where the TNT reboot of Dallas will shoot and how much of it will be actually in Dallas. The last word I had was incentive-rich Louisiana and New Mexico are very much in consideration. This from today's Variety is interesting because it makes clear production is not very far away:

"If summer sensation Rizzoli & Isles came as a pleasant but somewhat unexpected surprise to TNT, Dallas won't have that luxury.

The iconic series is receiving a Turner reboot as production on the pilot begins in only a few months. At the Television Critics Tour in Pasadena, TNT-TBS programming chief Michael Wright told Daily Variety that expectations remain extraordinarily high, but he believes writer Cynthia Cidre has offered a compelling updated scenario to capture auds not familiar with what made 'Who Shot J.R?' a national catchphrase.

'I don't want to give away the plot, but she found something authentic to business and to Dallas that allows them to trade on the same dynamic of the super wealthy,' Wright said. 'Dallas was always something of an Upstairs Downstairs paradigm. If it wasn't the rich and poor, it was attitude – entitlement versus a populist point of view. This covers all that.' "