RENT Film Set News

Treasure Island to Host Rent Shoot
Source: Trevor November 12, 2004


KTVU is reporting that San Francisco's Treasure Island will serve as the setting for the $40 million big screen adaptation of Broadway musical Rent, to be directed by Chris Columbus for Revolution Studios.

Under the deal, the production company would pay $12,000 a month in rent during its six-month stay.

Rosario Dawson plays the female lead role of Mimi Marquez. Adam Pascal, from the Broadway production, is also on board. Actress Tracie Thoms plays lesbian lawyer Joanne Jefferson. Original cast members Anthony Rapp, Jesse Martin, Taye Diggs and Idina Menzel are also in talks to reprise their roles.

Rent tells the story of a group of bohemians struggling to survive in New York's East Village.

A show about New Yawkers, shot on a sound stage on an island in SF Bay.

Wow.

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And from The San Francisco Examiner...

Movie coup for city
Major production set to film at Treasure Island.
By J.K. Dineen | Staff Writer
Published on Thursday, November 11, 2004
URL: http://www.examiner.com/article/index.cfm/i/111104n_filmind
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In a major coup for The City's newly revamped film office, director Chris Columbus has agreed to shoot the $40 million movie version of the smash Broadway musical hit "Rent" on Treasure Island.

Under the deal, expected to be unveiled next week, the production would occupy the island's Building 180 and the Admiral Nimitz Conference Center for six months, according to Treasure Island Development Authority Director Tony Hall.

The film, which is to star Hollywood actress Rosario Dawson, would be the first big-budget Hollywood flick to hit town since the Philip Kaufman movie "Twisted" was shot here in 2002. Industry workers blamed the celluloid drought on a lackluster film office at City Hall and San Francisco's reputation among directors as an expensive bureaucratic morass.

In September, Mayor Gavin Newsom announced a major shake-up of the film office, appointing a slew of Hollywood insiders to the commission and installing veteran location manager Stefanie Pleet Coyote as the film office's new executive director.

The changes coincided with the appointment of Hall, a former supervisor, to head up Treasure Island development. Hall said he is committed to bringing Hollywood back to the island, which was home to a slew of big-budget blockbusters during the 1990s.

"We're trying to revitalize filming on Treasure Island and this will show the rest of the movie industry that we can accommodate its needs," said Hall, who called the agreement "a tremendous deal for the Chris Columbus Company."

Spokespeople for Coyote and Newsom declined to comment.

Under the deal, Columbus' film production company would pay $12,000 a month in rent and build permanent capital improvements to the 40,000 square-foot building, which would make it more attractive for future movie projects.

Columbus, who lives in the Bay Area, has spent the past few years filming the Harry Potter movies and has expressed an interest in filming movies in The City.

The news comes at a time when several other movies are doing limited filming here. Pre-production work has started on Finn Taylor's "Darwin Awards" with Winona Ryder and David Arquette. Also, "If Only It Were True," starring Reese Witherspoon, starts filming Friday and will be on location in The City until Nov. 23.

"Rent is going to create a great amount of jobs," said Sean House, a Bay Area Film Alliance founding director.