Academy Award director Steven Spielberg, the man who gave birth to the summer blockbuster and has given us Jaws, Indiana Jones, E.T, Jurassic Park, and many more classic characters and films started production on his 28th feature film in Dumbo this past weekend. Instead of trendy coffee shops and unique boutiques, we saw vintage street signs and advertisements. While we don’t know if Spielberg showed up to block and direct actors, or this was the work of a second unit, seeing the production team remove video cameras and paste advertisements that resembled the time period was a little glimpse at how the magic of movies are made.
The film, a cold war drama (provided with a script co-written by none other than the Coen Brothers) is based on a 1960 U-2 incident when an American spy plane was shot down over Soviet soil two weeks before a summit was to be held in Paris. The U.S tried to cover up their intentions to the Reds but the plot was soon out in the open when the plane and its pilot, CIA Agent Francis Gary Powers was found with photos of Soviet military bases.
Powers was trailed and sentenced to prison in Russia for two years. How much of this story will be presented on screen is unknown at this time but Spielberg has chosen a most opportune time for making such a film–it’s the first time in decades that the relationship between the United States and Russia resembles the one shared during the Cold War. Spielberg himself has never shied away from controversy and geopolitics, with Schindler’s List and Munich drawing critical praise and Academy attention. We’ll be following to see if most of this film gets shot in New York City.
All of this isn’t that farfetched in fact, as there’s a Cold War nuclear bomb shelter in the Brooklyn Bridge itself.
We could not get Spielberg to come in, however if you want to talk to his “non-union Mexican equivalent,” contact the author @TatteredFedora
