Thanks Donna for the clip. Here's another article with a bit more details coming today.
http://www.wiscnews.com/bnr/news//index.php?ntid=274427Doyle: Depp is Wisconsin-bound
Associated Press
Depp at the Oscars.
By Jason Maddux and Paul Scharf / Capital Newspapers
COLUMBUS — Johnny Depp is coming to Wisconsin to film "Public Enemies," and it is almost certain that scenes will be shot in downtown Columbus as work on reverting awnings back to a style from the 1930s started Tuesday.
Mayor Nancy Osterhaus said Tuesday morning that the city is in the final stages of discussions with Universal Studios regarding the filming of the movie, which will star Depp as 1930s-era bank robber John Dillinger and Christian Bale as Melvin Purvis, the FBI special agent who tracked him.
Both Depp and Bale are expected to be in Columbus as part of the filming.
"Columbus is going to play a prominent part in 'Public Enemies,'" Scott Robbe, executive director of Film Wisconsin, said Tuesday.
Film Wisconsin is a nonprofit, public-private partnership based in Milwaukee aimed at growing Wisconsin's film and media industry.
Gov. Jim Doyle's office confirmed Tuesday that Depp will be in the state to star in the movie, which will be directed by University of Wisconsin graduate Michael Mann. Filming is expected to start in Wisconsin next month, but the governor's office said there is no official time line yet. Parts will be shot in the Chicago area as well.
Film production crews have spent many hours in Columbus scouting locations during the last several months.
Osterhaus said a production company is in the process of reaching agreements with downtown businesses for filming, and that a company has begun work in making awnings.
On Tuesday afternoon, a crew from Evanston, Ill., started working on replacing an awning in front of Secret Garden Floral, 115 N. Ludington St. Owner Robin Salzwedel, who rents the location, opened the store in May.
"It's a bit of excitement for (the) town," she said. "It's a nice opportunity."
Ed Hunzinger, owner of Evanston Awning Co., said Tuesday that the awning on Secret Garden Floral is "too modern looking." His fifth-generation awning company has done work on the sets of more than 60 movies.
He said that 1930s era awnings hung more loosely, and explained that some downtown buildings actually have old awnings hidden under their newer ones. Those will be used in filming after they receive new fabric, which will be aged by workers from Universal Studios.
Salzwedel said that she will be anxious to see her store make the movie.
Construction crews will move into town soon, doing heavier renovations where they are needed, according to Adam Boor, a location scout for Public Enemies Productions LLC. He was in the city Tuesday while the awning renovations were being started.
Osterhaus said she wasn't sure director Michael Mann would be back in the city this week.
Still, she said the process would be fun and "would put Columbus on the map."
Robbe said he believes the city has the look filmmakers were looking for.
"(Columbus) has done a great job of maintaining the look of the town for the period without being remodeled in the wrong way," he said.
Mann said in a statement that Wisconsin was an attractive filming location because many communities have high quality historic buildings. Mann and others associated with the film looked at 1930s-era cars from collectors in the Madison area.
"Authenticity is a big part of his films," Robbe said. "In his quest to be authentic, he has made the right decision (to film in Wisconsin).
Mann has committed to film at the Little Bohemia Lodge in Manitowish Waters, the scene of the Dillinger gang's 1934 shootout with federal agents. His life came to an end when FBI agents shot him to death outside the Biograph Theater in Chicago in July 1934.
The movie is a screen adaptation of Bryan Burrough's 2004 book "Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34." It describes the FBI's transformation when confronted with crime sprees by Dillinger, Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd and Lester "Baby Face Nelson" Gillis.
Robbe said filming in Columbus not only would have the short-term benefits that come with a film production — lots of local spending on equipment, building materials, food, lodging, etc. — but it brings exposure to the community and will drive tourist dollars. Film buffs and tourists in the future will want to see where scenes were shot, he said.
He was not sure how long the crews would be in the city, but he estimated it would be weeks if not months.
The news that Depp is coming has been around for months as filmmakers scouted locations, held casting calls for extras and sought vintage automobiles.
But official word of the film coming to Wisconsin had to wait until after NBC Universal signed an agreement with the state on tax credits last Wednesday.
"Public Enemies" is the first major production to come to Wisconsin after new tax incentives took effect Jan. 1. Doyle's office said the film company, which plans to spend nearly $20 million in the state, will earn about $3.9 million in tax credits.
Under the law, a production company qualifies for a tax credit of 25 percent of the wages paid to employees to produce a film, video, electronic game, broadcast advertisement or television production in the state. Also included are credits for sales tax, construction, wardrobes, clothing and visual effects.
Also, the Columbus City Council passed a resolution last Wednesday supporting the filming. Permits and fees for the use of city property will be waived in this process, should the filming of the movie by Universal Studios proceed in the city.
"The bottom line is, because of the incentives put in place, Wisconsin is now competitive with the rest of the nation and Canada," Robbe said.
"Public Enemies" is unique because a good portion of the principal photography will take place here, not just "establishing shots," Robbe said.
French actress Marion Cotillard, who won an Oscar Sunday for her portrayal of singer Edith Piaf in "La Vie En Rose," will play Dillinger's girlfriend.
The movie is slated for a 2009 release.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.