People have been asking us: What’s that big film crew doing downtown today? Why must my commute be ruined by greedy Hollywood movie producers? The answer: Why it’s National Treasure: Book of Secrets, the sequel to the polarizing Nicholas Cage swashbuckler, of course. Here’s the details on the filming for today, though circuses of production vehicles will likely be popping up elsewhere around the city for a while longer.
The D.C. Department of Transportation (DDOT), in cooperation with the D.C. Office of Motion Pictures and Television Production (OMPTD), advises motorists that Walt Disney Studios will be setting up production vehicles on both sides of Third Street, N.W., between Pennsylvania Avenue and Independence Avenue, from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday, March 28, 2007. Travel will be restricted in both curb lanes on Third Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and Independence Avenue.
Of course many of you probably already heard about the production after reading about the giant, open casting call held last week. DCist readers fed up with taking visitors to the National Archives and being forced to listen to choruses of “In the movie these gates weren’t here,” or “This place was empty in National Treasure,” or better yet, “I’m only here to see the building in National Treasure,” may be frightened to read the following description from imdb.com:
Treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates (Cage) looks to discover the truth behind the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, by uncovering the mystery within the 18 pages missing from assassin John Wilkes Booth’s diary.
Holy Ford’s Theater, Kal-El! As if the 2-block radius around the spot on 10th St. NW where Lincoln died isn’t already enough of a sea of tourists. Does Jerry Bruckheimer not realize there’s a bloody Hard Rock Cafe right there? None of this is to mention the disturbing reality of hosting Nicholas Cage and his overacting in our city for an extended period of time. Please, for the love of sanity, do not fall prey to wildly arching eyebrows and gesticulations, Washingtonians. The best way to prevent dangerous overacting addictions is never to start.
