Skip to main content
Home
Browse All
Log in
|
Help
Search
Advanced Search
Find results with:
error div
Add another field
Search by date
Search by date:
from
after
before
on
from:
to
to:
Searching collections:
Movie-Making Collection
Add or remove collections
Home
Movie-Making Collection
Studio clears venerable back lot for new 'Knights' set
Reference URL
To link to this object, paste this link in email, IM or document
To embed this object, paste this HTML in website
Studio clears venerable back lot for new 'Knights' set
View Description
296.pdf
Description
Collection
Movie-Making
Collection
Title
Studio
clears
venerable
back
lot
for
new
'
Knights
'
set
Subject
actors
;
Wilmington
,
NC
;
Screen
Gem
Studios
;
construction
;
movie
sets
;
filmmakers
;
Description
The
back
lot
at
Screen
Gems
Studios
, a
fixture
since
the
days
of
Dino
De
Laurentiis
, has been
torn
down
to
build
a
new
set
for the
upcoming
feature
film
Black
Knight
,
starring
Martin
Lawrence
. The
back
lot
was
constructed
in
1984
for
Year
of the
Dragon
,
only
a
year
after
Mr
.
De
Laurentiis
announced
the
beginning
of a
studio
complex
in
Wilmington
. The
set
was
built
to
replicate
a
street
in
Chinatown
in
New
York
City
.
Since
then, the
680-foot
strip
lined
with
facades
of
buildings
45
feet
high
has been
used
for
city
scenes
in
more
than
30
feature
films
,
including
29th
Street
, with
Danny
Aiello
and
Anthony
LaPaglia
, The
Hudsucker
Proxy
, with
Tim
Robbins
and
Paul
Newman
,
Billy
Bathgate
, with
Dustin
Hoffman
and
Nicole
Kidman
, The
Crow
and
Teenage
Mutant
Ninja
Turtles
.
Over
the
years
,
more
than
$6
million
has been
spent
on
construction
at the
back
lot
,
including
the
$1.25
million
it
took
to
build
the
set
,
said
Gerald
Waller
,
vice
president
of
studio
operations
. For the
last
three
years
,
though
, the
set
has been
empty
. The
last
projects
to
film
there were
Waterproof
and The
Cutoff
,
both
filmed
in
1997
. The
set
has
suffered
hurricane
damage
over
the
years
and
caused
additional
problems
for the
studio
recently
when
young
boys
attempted
to
set
fire
to
it
. "
It
was
never
really
built
to
last
"
Mr
.
Waller
said
. "
What's
done
with this
is
strictly
up
to the
filmmakers
. With the
lack
of
production
,
it
has
continued
to
deteriorate.
" The
back
lot
sits
on
part
of the
eight
acres
the
studio
offers
for
production
companies
to
construct
outdoor
sets
. "
We
offer
this
space
for them to
build
whatever
they
want
or to
change
whatever
they
want
"
Mr
.
Waller
said
. And
producers
for
Black
Knight
have
decided
they'd
like
to
build
a
1380s
castle
,
complete
with
towers
,
gates
and a
moat
. But
New
Regency
and
20th
Century
Fox
are
keeping
details
under
wraps
.
Construction
has
already
started
for the
castle
,
which
will be the
largest
single
set
constructed
at the
studios
. The
set
will
soon
be
closed
to the
public
until
Black
Knight
is
released
,
Mr
.
Waller
said
.
Filming
is
scheduled
to
begin
in
November
. The
movie
is
billed
as a
time-travel
comedy
where
a
worker
in a
medieval-theme
miniature
golf
course
is
suddenly
transported
back
to the
Middle
Ages
.
Road
Builders
,
Inc.
, a
company
that
helped
build
the
studio
,
is
in
charge
of the
demolition
of the
set."I'm
glad
to
see
this
going
on"
Mr
.
Waller
said
. "
Everybody
is
.
It's
just
great
to
see
some
action
back
here
after
all
this
time.
" The
back
lot
at
Screen
Gems
Studios
is
now
just
a
framework
of
poles
(above
,
left)
that were the
support
for the
city
scene
built
there in
1984
. The
city
scene
had been
used
in
more
than
30
feature
films
. The
set
(above
,
right)
is
shown
to
spectators
on a
tour
in
1997
. The
set
was
torn
down
to
build
a
new
set
for the
upcoming
film
'
Black
Knight,
'
starring
Martin
Lawrence
.
Creator
Ballard
,
Allison
;
Courtney
,
Mark
Publisher
Wilmington Star-News
Date
2000-09-13
Type
text
Format
pdf
Rights
New
Hanover
County
Public
Library
Copyright and Use Restrictions
The
materials
included
in the
North
Carolina
Room’s
Digital
Collections
are
made
available
for
research
,
teaching
, and
private
study
according
to
United
States
Copyright
law
. The
user
assumes
full
responsibility
for
clearing
any
copyright
protections
prior
to
use
of any
item
.
Unless
otherwise
stated
, the
North
Carolina
Room
requests
that the
use
of any
item
be
credited
to
New
Hanover
County
Public
Library
with the
statement
“Courtesy
of
New
Hanover
County
Public
Library”
and a
link
to the
digital
item
. If
you
are a
copyright
holder
who
is
incorrectly
identified
or a
copyright
holder
who
does
not
wish
to be
identified
,
please
contact
the
North
Carolina
Room
at
910-798-6305
so
that
we
may
make
corrections
. The
user
hereby
agrees
that
all
manuscript
,
archival
,
photographic
and
other
personal
papers
in the
possession
of the
New
Hanover
Public
Library
or any
publications
or
documents
of the
Library
itself
, are the
sole
property
of the
New
Hanover
Public
Library
and
may
not be
used
or
reproduced
in any
manner
without
written
permission
of the
Library
Advisory
Board
of the
New
Hanover
Public
Library
or
duly
appointed
representative
.
All
materials
reproduced
in any
format
(printed
publication
,
broadcast
,
digital
or
other)
,
must
be
accompanied
in
print
with the
caption
,
“Courtesy
of
New
Hanover
County
Public
Library
,
North
Carolina
Room”
and
must
also
include
a
link
to the
digital
item
.
you wish to report:
Your comment:
Your Name:
...
Back to top
Select the collections to add or remove from your search
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Select All Collections
A
Archival Collections Finding Aids
Arthur Bluethenthal Family Papers
Azalea Festival Collection
B
Bill Reaves Photograph Collection
C
Cape Fear Community College
Cape Fear Garden Club Scrapbooks
Cape Fearians Collection
Clarendon Courier
Cowan and Denson Family Papers
D
Dr. Robert M. Fales Collection
L
Louis T. Moore Collection
Lovering Collection
M
Movie-Making Collection
N
North Carolina Room Map Collection
North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, 1941-1946
O
Owen and Barry Family Papers
P
Port City Architecture
Postcard Collections
S
Star-News Image Archive
W
Wilmington Harbor Collection
500
You have selected:
1
OK
Cancel
