Bridge of Spies (film)

Bridge of Spies[1]
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Produced by Steven Spielberg
Marc Platt
Kristie Macosko Krieger
Screenplay by Matt Charman
Joel Coen
Ethan Coen
Starring Tom Hanks
Amy Ryan
Alan Alda
Eve Hewson
Mark Rylance
Billy Magnussen
Austin Stowell
Music by Thomas Newman
Cinematography Janusz Kamiński
Edited by Michael Kahn
Production
company
Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release dates
  • October 16, 2015 (United States)
Country United States
Language English

Bridge of Spies[1] is an upcoming 2015 American historical spy thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Matt Charman, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. The film stars Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan, Alan Alda and Eve Hewson. It is based on the 1960 U-2 incident, in which a lawyer named James Donovan is thrust into the center of the Cold War when he is given a mission to negotiate the release of Francis Gary Powers, a pilot whose plane was shot down in the Soviet Union.[2]

The film was shot under the working title of St. James Place. Principal photography began on September 8, 2014, in Brooklyn, New York City. Touchstone Pictures will release the film in North America on October 16, 2015, and 20th Century Fox will distribute in the remaining territories.[3]

Cast

Production

Development

Period vehicles on Monroe Place in Brooklyn Heights during the filming

St. James Place[4] was first commissioned by Matt Charman, who wrote a first draft of the script. He then pitched it to DreamWorks, whose co-founder Steven Spielberg found it interesting and decided to direct.[5] Marc Platt and Kristie Macosko Krieger attached themselves as producers along with Spielberg. Joel Coen and Ethan Coen revised Matt Charman's original script.[2] In June 2014, Fox 2000 Pictures agreed to co-finance the film with DreamWorks and Participant, with the film's distribution rights being divided up between Disney and Fox.[6] March 3, 2015, during an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian, Platt revealed the title to be Bridge of Spies which was shot under the working title of St. James Place.[7]

Casting

In May 2014, it was announced that Tom Hanks would star as James Donovan, and Mark Rylance is to co-star with Hanks. Amy Ryan, Alan Alda, Billy Magnussen and Eve Hewson, were reported to star in the film as well.[8][9] Participant Media will co-produce the film.[10]

Filming

Lights and rain sprinklers during the filming in Brooklyn Heights

Principal photography began on September 8, 2014, in Brooklyn, New York City.[11] September 14, filming took place in DUMBO where the crews transformed an Anchorage Place into 1960s.[12][13] September 15, filming took place in Astoria, between Astoria Park and the Ditmars Boulevard. Filming was done on 18 Street and 26 Avenue in Astoria where Spielberg was spotted transforming the 5 Corners Deli into a 1950s grocery store.[14][15][16] September 26, filming took place on 44th Street in Manhattan as evidenced by crews stationed on 44th Street between Madison and 6th Avenues. September 27, Hanks was spotted filming scenes on the Wall Street among extras with 1960s costumes.[4] September 28, filming of some day and night scenes took place on the corner of Henry Street and Love Lane in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, where the block was set with vintage cars, street signs, rain machines, and spot lights.[17] September 29, filming took place on Hicks Street and Pineapple Street, where a shop Perfect Paws was transformed into a 1960s dress shop named Brooklyn Pearl[18] and at the Monroe Place Courthouse. On October 6, Hanks and the crews were spotted on the same location on Hicks Street.[19]

In early October, after filming wrapped in New York, further production began at Babelsberg Studios in Berlin and Potsdam, Germany, and would last there through the end of November.[20][21] Filming in Berlin began with shooting at the former Tempelhof Airport on October, for scenes that actually took place there, such as Donovan's descending from a historic C-54 Skymaster.[22] A scene includes the prisoner exchange filmed on the Glienicke Bridge where the historical exchange actually took place in 1962.[23][24] The bridge spans the Havel narrows between Berlin and Potsdam and was closed to traffic for filming over the last weekend of November.[25][26] German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the set to watch the filming of these scenes.[27] Principal photography officially finished on December 4 in Berlin Tempelhof.

Shooting also took place in Wrocław, Poland in the second half of November.[20][28] During the mid-December, filming was taken place at Beale Air Force Base, located near Marysville, California.[29]

Music

John Williams was set to write the score for the film which would be his 27th collaboration with director Steven Spielberg.[30] However, in March 2015, it was announced that Thomas Newman would replace Williams for the film, as Williams' schedule was interrupted by a minor health issue and he became unavailable to score the film.[31]

Release

The film will be released on October 16, 2015.[32] Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures will distribute the film in North America through its Touchstone Pictures banner, while 20th Century Fox will distribute the film through its Fox 2000 Pictures banner in the remaining international territories.[33]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.thedp.com/article/2015/03/q-and-a-with-marc-platt
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Four Cast in Steven Spielberg's Untitled Cold War Spy Thriller". Dreamworks Studio. July 21, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  3. ↑ Lang, Brent (March 18, 2015). "Spielberg-Hanks Cold War Film Titled ‘Bridge of Spies,’ John Williams Won’t Compose Score". Variety. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "PHOTOS: Tom Hanks shoots 'St. James Place' on Wall St.". nydailynews.com. September 27, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  5. ↑ Siegel, Tatiana (July 24, 2014). "Novice Screenwriter on Selling His First Script to Steven Spielberg: 'Exhilarating and Nerve-Racking'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  6. ↑ Ge, Linda (June 20, 2014). "Fox to Co-Finance Steven Spielberg's Cold War Thriller Starring Tom Hanks". The Wrap. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
  7. ↑ CONNAUGHTON, CLARE (March 3, 2015). "Hollywood producer Marc Platt talks upcoming projects, Pitch Perfect and his time at Penn". The Daily Pennsylvanian. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  8. ↑ Bahr, Lindsey (June 16, 2014). "Steven Spielberg's Cold War thriller and 'The BFG' snag release dates". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Amy Ryan, Alan Alda Join Tom Hanks in Steven Spielberg’s Cold War found Thriller". variety.com. July 21, 2014. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Participant Joins DreamWorks On Spielberg Cold War Pic & ‘The Light Between Oceans’". deadline.com.
  11. ↑ "Steven Spielberg’s Untitled Cold War Thriller is filming in Brooklyn this weekend". onlocationvacations.com. September 12, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
  12. ↑ Frost, Mary (October 7, 2014). "DUMBO transformed for Spielberg Film". brooklyneagle.com. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Untitled Steven Spielberg Cold War movie films on Anchorage Street in DUMBO". news12.com. September 14, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  14. ↑ http://weheartastoria.com/2014/09/spielbergs-st-james-place-is-filming-in-astoria/
  15. ↑ "Steven Spielberg spotted on the set of 'St James Place' in Astoria". onlocationvacations.com. September 16, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Spielberg's "St. James Place" is Filming in Astoria". weheartastoria.com. September 14, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  17. ↑ Bindelglass, Evan (September 29, 2014). "Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg Film ‘St. James Place’ In Brooklyn Heights". brooklynnews.net. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  18. ↑ Fink, Homer (September 29, 2014). "Spielberg Transforms Perfect Paws into a 1960s Dress Shop and He Will Make It Rain Monday Night in Brooklyn Heights". brooklynheightsblog.com. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  19. ↑ Croghan, Lore; Frost, Mary (October 7, 2014). "Tom Hanks lights up the night on Hicks Street". brooklyneagle.com. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Barraclough, Leo (October 23, 2014). "Steven Spielberg to Shoot Scenes for ‘St. James Place’ in Poland: Report". variety.com. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  21. ↑ Blaney, Martin (October 1, 2014). "Race producers plan to re-team". SCREENDAILY. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Hier wärmt sich Hanks für den Kalten Krieg auf (Tom Hanks is warming himself up here for the cold war)". BZ Berlin. October 26, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Glienicker Brücke als Filmkulisse". Berlin Steglitz-Zehlendorf. October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Pressrelease". Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg. September 29, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  25. ↑ "Agentenaustausch an der Glienicker Brücke". Tagesspiegel. November 19, 2014. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
  26. ↑ "Pressrelease". Studio Babelsberg. November 18, 2014. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
  27. ↑ http://www.morgenpost.de/berlin/article134825500/Merkel-besucht-Spielberg-und-Hanks-auf-Glienicker-Bruecke.html
  28. ↑ "Spielberg to shoot spy thriller in Wroclaw". thenews.pl. October 22, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  29. ↑ "Action! Spielberg filming U-2 movie at Beale". appeal-democrat.com. December 18, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  30. ↑ Fischer, Russ (March 3, 2015). "New Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks Film Titled ‘Bridge of Spies,’ John Williams Confirmed to Score". slashfilm.com. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  31. ↑ "Thomas Newman Replaces Williams on "Bridge of Spies"". jwfan.com. March 18, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
  32. ↑ McNary, Dave (June 16, 2014). "Tom Hanks-Steven Spielberg Cold War Thriller Set for Oct. 16, 2015". Variety. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
  33. ↑ Labrecque, Jeff (March 18, 2015). "Steven Spielberg's Cold War thriller gets a title, but John Williams drops out". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 19, 2015.

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