This is probably old news, but if it works out, this could be cool..

http://www.wiscnews.com/b...264059.php


Dillinger flick could bring film crew to Baraboo

By Ben Bromley

Filmmakers planning a movie about gangster John Dillinger have made inquiries about shooting part of the flick in Baraboo.

The film reportedly will be titled "Public Enemies" and will star Johnny Depp as Dillinger. Oscar nominee Michael Mann is set to direct the movie, with screen legend Robert De Niro serving as an executive producer.

Universal Pictures contacted the Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce earlier this month, Executive Director Gene Dalhoff said. A representative said Baraboo is among 20 Wisconsin communities being scouted as possible filming locations.

Baraboo National Bank CEO Merlin Zitzner said he received a call from a representative of Mann, who is considering filming a robbery scene at the bank. "They were in the thought stages of selecting props for their movie," Zitzner said. "As far as I know, it's still in the talking stage."

Zitzner said filmmakers were drawn to the bank and Baraboo's courthouse square because of their vintage look. Dillinger and his gang pulled off a series of bank heists across the Midwest during the Depression, and hid from federal authorities at a northern Wisconsin lodge in 1934. The bank's exterior, which hasn't changed significantly since the 1930s, evokes the historic look the filmmakers hope to capture, Zitzner said. "They like the decor," he said. "We and downtown Baraboo sort of sidestepped the '70s motif."

Baraboo last served as the backdrop for a major Hollywood release in fall 1993, when Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte headlined "I Love Trouble," a film about two Chicago newspaper reporters getting the scoop on a train derailment. That film depicted the Baraboo Bluffs and offered a glimpse of the courthouse square.

"Public Enemies" would be a screen adaptation of Bryan Burrough's book "Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34." The book followed the transformation of the FBI as the government tried to stop a crime spree headed by Dillinger, Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd and Lester "Baby Face Nelson" Gillis.

Web sites that follow the movie industry say shooting likely will start in March in Chicago, with release slated for 2009. Leading this thriller about Dillinger, who was J. Edgar Hoover's "Public Enemy No. 1," will be Mann, a Chicago native and former University of Wisconsin-Madison undergraduate whose films "The Aviator" and "The Insider" earned Academy Award nominations. Also part of the production team are De Niro and his partner Jane Rosenthal, who originally acquired the rights to the book and approached studios about making the movie.

Zitzner applauded those associated with "Public Enemies" for considering Baraboo. He said the bank would cooperate. "Whatever we can do to expand the culture of our community," Zitzner said.

I love the name of your town

jami0mckay said:

It sounds like a kids tv show character Baraboo the Bear or something

chillichocaholic said:

Hey maybe Nikster could get a part in the film??

jami0mckay said:

U never know would taht be wearing a bear suit?

chillichocaholic said:

I once had to wear a cat costume following a milk float for a parade

jami0mckay said:

U do realise u should NOT have admitted that because someone might call u a

chillichocaholic said:

I had to give free samples or milk out to kids, whilst I didn't get a drink for 2 and half hours! annnd it was summer here! (well that means it wasn't raining for a day...)

jami0mckay said:

poor u

there is allegedly an open casting call for extras for this film to be held tomorrow, saturday february 16, 2008, at Monona Terrace in Madison, WI.

excerpt from article about it:
"The film, which stars Johnny Depp (as John Dillinger), Christian Bale (as FBI agent Melvin Purvis), and Marion Cotillard (as Billie Frechette), among others, will be shooting in Chicago and around Wisconsin this spring. Locations in the state are set to include Manitowish Waters and Richland Center, with others sites scouted over the last month including Oshkosh, Milwaukee, Baraboo, and the Capitol in downtown Madison. Now the production is searching for people in the region to work as paid non-speaking extras for these shoots, with the open casting call from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday at Monona Terrace.

"We are shooting in the Wisconsin area and need people with great faces for this 1930s period film," begins an announcement from the extras casting agent. "We are currently looking for men no taller than 6'1", women should be no taller than 5'8", and no larger than a size 12. We are also looking for children of all ages."

Hopefuls attending the casting call are also recommended to arrive dressed in specific outfits, detailed in the announcement:

Men: Dark to medium suit, tie, and an overcoat (not brown) and dress shoes. As this is a period piece, it is very important that your hair be kept long; therefore do not cut your hair. If you have long hair, pull back in a ponytail.

Women: Dark to medium dress and skirt and sweater, overcoat and pumps (med heel). Set hair in curlers the night before and arrive with hair brushed out.
Applicants are also requested to bring a recent color photo and a pen to fill out a registration form."

entire article found here.
[Edited 2/15/08 3:33am]