Rodriguez seeks extras as 'Alita' begins Austin shoot

Robert Rodriguez is back in action directing Alita: Battle Angel for Fox in Austin from now until February.

According to Deadline, it's set in a 26th-century dystopian future: "The film follows the story of an amnesiac cyborg who, after being rescued from a scrap heap by a doctor (Christoph Waltz), becomes a bounty hunter tracking down criminals."

Actress and singer Eiza González has the lead role. She also stars in Rodriguez's El Rey Network series From Dusk Till Dawn. Rodriguez shocked Austin locals when he moved series production to film friendlier (as in incentives) New Mexico for season three. The cast also includes Lana Condor, Rosa Salazar, Jackie Earle Haley and Ed Skrein.

It's an adaptation of  the graphic novel series Battle Angel Alita by Yukito Kushiro. James Cameron wrote the script with Laeta Kalogridis.

Third Coast Extras is handing background roles, which include punk rocker types, Asians and East Indians, but also general folks of all ages. Get more info at the casting company's Facebook page.

The film is set for a 2018 release.

Robert Rodriguez sends 'From Dusk Till Dawn' to New Mexico

Rodriguez and Linklater (photo by Joe O'Connell)

Cuts to Texas film incentives have a new casualty: Austin-based Robert Rodriguez likes to shoot at home, but he's setting up the third season of his El Rey network's From Dusk Till Dawn series in New Mexico with filming beginning as I type this. The first two seasons shot in the Austin area, of course. But money talks and Rodriguez walks. As have other recent Texas-set shows.

This is what happens when the Texas Legislature slices and dices its two-year film incentive program budget from $95 million to $32 million. In recent years, the incentive program has been most effective at attracting TV series to the state, including Austin-shot American Crime and The Leftovers. The former shot in Austin for both of its two seasons, while the latter shot its second season around Central Texas. The Leftovers already has a third season commitment while American Crime's future is unknown. Will either return to Austin? Stay tuned, but don't get your hopes up. At least we still have Richard Linklater. Right, Rick? Gulp.

Is Albuquerque the new San Antonio?

Don't blame San Antonio tourists if they assume the Alamo is made of adobe. Two major network TV series set in the Alamo City are being filming in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Night Shift is a medical drama set at "San Antonio Memorial." Here's the plot description from NBC:
 

At San Antonio Memorial, those who work the 7pm – 7am shift are a special breed. Welcome to the night shift, where every day is a fight between the heroic efforts of saving lives and the hard truths of running a hospital. After a grueling tour of duty in Afghanistan, adrenaline junkie TC Callahan became accustomed to combat, but he could have never guessed that his toughest battles would be fought right here at home. TC and his irreverent team of late night docs know how to let off steam with the casual prank or two, but when lives are at stake, they are all business. Unfortunately, the night shift is now under new management, and boss Michael Ragosa is more interested in cutting costs than helping people. But TC has never met a rule he couldn't break, or a person he won't stand up to. And it's clear that not even Jordan, TC's ex-girlfriend and now Ragosa's second in charge, has a chance at keeping him in line. If Ragosa wants a war... he'll get one.

The pilot for Texas Rangers show Killer Women was shot in Austin, but the pilot (and we can assume the series) is set in San Antonio and the show is now ready to lens in Albuquerque. Here's the story:

Of all the notorious lawmen who ever patrolled the violent Texas frontier, none are more storied than the Texas Rangers. Being the only female ranger in this elite squad isn’t going to stop ballsy, badass Molly Parker (Tricia Helfer). Molly is committed to finding the truth and seeing justice served. While she’s surrounded by law enforcement colleagues who want to see her fail, including Police Lieutenant Estaban Salazar (Vic Trevino), the Rangers have her back, led by Company Commander Luis Zea (Alex Fernandez). Molly’s also got her brother Billy (Michael Trucco) and his wife Nessa (Marta Milans). On the verge of getting divorced from her smarmy husband Jake (Jeffrey Nordling), Molly begins an affair with sexy DEA agent, Dan Winston (Marc Blucas).

 At least Dallas has TNT series Dallas shooting there for a third season and Austin stole Revolution from North Carolina and brought the apocalypse to Central Texas.

'Lying Game' waits for true renewal

 UPDATE: Nope. it's cancelled.

It's sort of fitting that ABC's Killer Women filmed its pilot in Austin but the series will be shot in New Mexico. That's the exact opposite of ABC Family's The Lying Game for which the pilot lensed in New Mexico but the series shot in Austin. Notice that past tense? No one knows at this point if the show will get a third season. The delayed official announcement is now to come on July 15, and the folks behind the show are urging viewer support and, oddly, for folks to not watch a couple of new ABC Family shows. And in Austin this news is hardly rating a blip in the media. Instead all eyes are focused on NBC's hit series Revolution's moving production to town.

Here's the scoop from a Facebook fan page Renew The Lying Game:

I noticed there have been a ton of questions from all of you lately that need to get clarified.

QUESTION 1: When will we know if TLG has been renewed or not?
Allie (Laurel) said that they will know the official word on JULY 15TH which is a little over 2 weeks away. I will post the official word as soon as I know!

QUESTION 2: Blair is on Switched at Birth this season so TLG must be canceled.
NO not at all true. Blair is ONLY guest starring this season. The word is that he's in ONLY 6 or 7 episodes maybe less. He filmed these episodes earlier in the year while TLG wasn't filming.

QUESTION 3: Is boycotting ABC Family's new shows really going to help TLG get renewed?
YES! ABSOLUTELY! The less viewers these shows get the better the chance is for TLG to get renewed. If these shows get way more viewers then TLG then ABC Family will think TLG doesn't have a big enough fan base to continue and these other shows do.

QUESTION 4: What if I just boycott Twisted & watch The Fosters? Am I still helping TLG?
Yes & no! A lot of people are assuming that only Twisted's ratings have to do with TLG's renewal or cancellation & that The Fosters only affects Bunheads. But NO official word has stated this. When the announcement came out it said ABC Family wants to see how BOTH of their new shows do. If BOTH are canceled is WAY MORE likely that TLG will get renewed. That means that TWO time slots will be opened.

QUESTION 5: How can I help get TLG renewed?
Tweet ABC Family like CRAZY letting them know that you want TLG back with hashtags ‎#RenewTheLyingGame & ‎#LyingGameBack10 Also email them & leave tons of FB comments. The more noise we make he better!

'Killer Women' to shoot in New Mexico

 

It's a show about Texas Rangers set in San Antonio and the pilot shot in Austin, but the ABC series Killer Women will lens in Albuquerque, my sources confirm.

With the television networks, the decision usually comes down to dollars and cents, and this appears to be no exception. Simply put, filming incentives in New Mexico remain much more attractive than those offered in Texas.

But at least we can enjoy a few fleeting Austin views in the trailer.

It's the same story that has another Texas Rangers story,  Johnny Depp star vehicle The Long Ranger, featuring scenic backdrops that you'd never find in the Lone Star State.

Dude, "Lone Ranger" uncooly nabbed for pot brownies

Yes, The Lone Ranger is mostly filming in New Mexico, but at least Texas got to arrest Armie Hammer, who stars as the masked man, for trying to bring pot brownies into Mexico from the Lone Star State.

'Lone Ranger' starts New Mexico shoot in February

It looks like big-budget The Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp as Tonto will be almost entirely a New Mexico shoot, according to this New Mexico newspaper report and this report that says filming will be in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and elsewhere through August. No mention of any Texas shoot despite earlier scouts in the Marfa/Alpine area. Also no mention of Louisiana, which had been in the filming mix.

Elizabeth Gabel, a casting agent in New Mexico, has more info, including that extras will first be used in March.

Also of interest, this site lists some cast names I hadn't seen before, including Tom Wilkinson, Dwight Yoakam, Barry Pepper and Timothy Hutton. Armie Hammer is the Lone Ranger.

It also appears the working title (which could just be an attempt to lower the film's profile while shooting) is Silver Bullet.

'Lone Ranger' lives, but not in Texas

Jerry Bruckheimer has managed to revive Johnny Depp-starrer The Lone Ranger with its budget tightened, ahem, from $260 million to $215 million.

There were rumblings earlier of a joint New Mexico-Texas shoot for this tale of a TEXAS Ranger, then talk of Utah, but the final words is New Mexico and possibly Louisiana. Why? Do you even need to ask?

Here's what Bruckheimer told The Hollywood Reporter:

"We found that Louisiana gave us a better tax incentive than New Mexico -- that was another $8 million. We're still shooting in New Mexico, and we might [also] go to Louisiana. We're asking New Mexico to come closer to the Louisiana incentive.
We dropped our California location not because they didn't offer a tax break but because it was another production office that we had to open. Every time you have a new location, you have to use crew time setting it up for you. There are a lot of expenses."

Early rumblings had the film shooting some in the Alpine-Marfa area, which goes completely unmentioned here. Granger was also scouted for train scenes, probably because they were shot there for True Grit.

Disney kills 'Lone Ranger'

Apparently disagreements with producer Jerry Bruckheimer over the budget led Disney to pull the plug on the Johnny Depp-starrer Lone Ranger that may or may not have been about to film partially in Texas (or New Mexico? or Utah?). Shades of The Alamo and Pearl Harbor, both Disney projects where the studio sought and got major budget cuts that many have blamed for turning those films into boring messes.

Lone Ranger was set to film this fall and had scouted West Texas in the Alpine/Marfa area. Word also filtered out of studio shoots in New Mexico, and at one time there was serious talk of shooting in Utah.

'The Lying Game' comes to Austin

I've been remiss in reporting the arrival of an ABC Family series to Austin. What's even more interesting is the pilot shot in New Mexico, but they chose not to stay there for the series shoot. The show titled The Lying Game premieres Aug. 15. It's based on on the novel by Sara Shepard (Pretty Little Liars)!

And, yes, there is an open call for extras (or better yet go straight to the Third Coast Extras Facebook page). Here are the details:

The Lying Game follows Emma, a kind-hearted foster kid who learns she has an identical twin sister, Sutton. Sutton, unlike Emma, was adopted by wealthy parents and is seemingly living an ideal life. After their initial meeting, Sutton talks Emma into stepping into her life for a few days while she pursues a lead on the mysterious identity of their birth mother. After Sutton inexplicably fails to return to the girls’ designated meeting place, Emma must decide whether to come clean about her identity and risk her own safety in the hope of uncovering her twin sister's whereabouts, along with the truth about why they were separated in the first place.

Adrian Pasdar of Heroes has just joined the cast, I'm sure as "The Old Guy."

The Lying Game also stars Alexandra Chando (As The World Turns) as Emma/Sutton; Andy Buckley (The Office) as Ted; Helen Slater (Supergirl) as Kristin; Blair Redford (90210) as Ethan; Sharon Pierre-Louis (Lincoln Heights) as Nisha; Kirsten Prout (Kyle XY) as Char; Alice Greczyn (Lincoln Heights) as Mads; and Allie Gonino (10 Things I Hate About You) as Laurel. Charles Pratt, Jr. (Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, All My Children, Melrose Place) serves as executive producer and writer; Leslie Morgenstein (Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries) and Gina Girolamo will serve as executive producers. Produced by Alloy Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television.

'Lone Ranger' now looking to Utah shoot

UPDATE: LONE RANGER IS OFFICIALLY DEAD AS A PROJECT!

UPDATE: These decisions are still forming apparently, with a lot of studio work in New Mexico looking likely (along with the Utah shoot?) and some train shots in Texas.


Despite early casting reports that Disney's Lone Ranger starring Johnny Depp as Tonto would land in Texas and New Mexico, extremely reliable sources in the know say it will go to Utah. And it's a decision based entirely on the incentives that state will offer. Texas just plain doesn't offer enough.

Jerry Bruckheimer tweeted this past week that he was heavy into preproduction meetings on the project, and apparently this location decision was the result.

Of course, this means the film's Texas may better approximate the television series that ran from 1949-56 and filmed in Kanab, Utah, and California, thus keeping the myth of that particular Lone Star State alive.

'Lone Ranger' another Texas-New Mexico project?

UPDATE: LONE RANGER IS OFFICIALLY DEAD AS A PROJECT!


I've got confirmation of scouts both in Texas and New Mexico for Disney's Lone Ranger starring Johnny Depp as Tonto. This casting call actually says both states are in the mix.

Are we looking at a repeat of True Grit, which split filming between the two states with a slight edge to Texas to qualify for Lone Star State filming incentives? Looks that way. The casting call also indicates an October start to filming. Armie Hammer of The Social Network will portray the Masked Man.

For more on the project and recent scouts, read here.

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.' "