CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Suddenly Greater Cleveland is movie-crewless.
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier" wrapped its nearly six-week production on Thursday. The action-thriller, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and starring Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson, is slated to hit theaters on April 4, 2014."We had an amazing experience over the last six weeks. We can't
thank Clevelanders enough for their support," said Joe Russo in an email Thursday night. "The cast and crew fell in
love with the city -- so much so that everyone's having a hard time
leaving."
"Draft Day," the Ivan Reitman drama starring Kevin Costner and Jennifer Garner, wrapped its seven-week Cleveland-area production Wednesday.
"Draft Day" will also be released next year, but does not have a firm date yet. It's believed the film, about the fictional GM of the Cleveland Browns trying to resuscitate his franchise by wheeling and dealing draft picks, will peg its release to the NFL Draft next spring.
The film shot some exteriors here, including scenes at FirstEnergy Stadium and at the Browns facility in Berea, but was primarily indoors. Locales included Rocky River, Shaker Heights, Aurora, Mayfield, Mayfield Heights, Bainbridge Township and Beachwood, among others. They were also ensconced at Cuyahoga Community College's Corporate College East in Warrensville Heights.
"Draft Day," co-written by Cleveland Heights-native and noted playwright Rajiv Joseph, started shooting here on the evening of May 7 in the studios of WKNR/AM 850 in the Galleria, where sports talkers Tony Rizzo and Aaron Goldhammer jawed about Costner's character, Sonny Weaver Jr., and what the woeful Browns needed most to improve.
"Captain America," which started filming here on May 20 with a crew of about 300, was a much more public shoot, closing roads -- most infamously the West Shoreway for two weeks -- and providing a lot of boom and bang with explosions, gunfire, car chases, crashed and burning vehicles and street fights. They filmed downtown, in Tremont, in Cleveland Heights, at Lake View Cemetery, inside Tower City Center, the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Western Reserve Historical Society, among other locations.
As Joe Russo previously told The Plain Dealer, "We really appreciate everyone's support and patience. Obviously, coming in and shutting down roads and complicating people's daily commute is not one of the initial benefits of the film. But being able to bring money here and jobs and putting people to work is part of building momentum. The more big films that come here, more will follow."
The films were drawn here by the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit, which essentially reimburses productions for 25 percent of what they spend in the state and 35 percent of wages paid to Ohio residents.
"Captain America" received a tax credit of $9.5 million for what the state considered two productions -- the first and second units.
"Draft Day" received a tax credit of $4.9 million.
Cleveland plays itself in "Draft Day." For "Captain America," it plays Washington, D.C.
Folks caught glimpses around town of "Captain America's" Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Hayley Atwell and Frank Grillo.
The "Draft Day" gang was less visible until last weekend. On Friday and Saturday, Costner played two shows, at Brothers Lounge and the Kent Stage, with his band Modern West. Garner and Reitman took in the Friday show. On Sunday, Costner was at Progressive Field for the Indians-Twins game, taking part in some pre-game infield and batting practice.
Costner is legendary for his baseball movies "Field of Dreams" "Bull Durham" and "For Love of the Game," but "Draft Day" is his first foray into football films. Costner's co-stars include Denis Leary, Frank Langella, Tom Welling, Ellen Burstyn and Rosanna Arquette.
If "Draft Day" is not released close to the actual NFL Draft, which next year takes place in early May instead of its usual April slot, perhaps it will aim to spin-off the NFL season.
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier" is on a much more strict schedule, as it is not only a sequel to "Captain America: The First Avenger," but also must play off "Marvel's the Avengers" and "Thor: The Dark World" (out in November) while serving to set up story lines in "The Avengers 2," slated for 2015.
