'God' willing, this CBS pilot will be filming on Avenue C the next 2 days

Crews for a CBS pilot called "God Friended Me" will be filming on parts of Avenue C and Avenue D between Eighth Street and 13th Street tomorrow and Tuesday...



Here's the plot via Deadline Hollywood:

"God Friended Me" is described as a humorous, uplifting series that explores questions of faith, existence and science. It centers on Miles (Brandon Micheal Hall), an outspoken atheist whose life is turned upside down when he is “friended” by God on Facebook. Unwittingly, he becomes an agent of change in the lives and destinies of others around him.

Violett Beane will play Cara Weiss. Confident, compelling and quick-witted, Cara is a leading writer at an online magazine. Under pressure for her next big story, her life takes an interesting turn when she meets Miles — thanks to God’s friend suggestion. The cast also includes Suraj Sharma, Javicia Leslie and Joe Morton.

Rejected headlines:
Oh 'God' — another film shoot!

Why in 'God''s name would CBS order this pilot?

A look at Orchard Street's transformation into the 1970s for Martin Scorsese's Jimmy Hoffa film

Text and photos by Dan Efram

Last week, Martin Scorsese’s "The Irishman" took over the corner of Orchard and Broome for filming. Villa Roma Productions brought in classic vintage cars and made over this Lower East Side corner to resemble one from Little Italy a few blocks West — specifically Mulberry & Hester — creating historically accurate facades and business signage.

Set mere steps from the Tenement Museum, it's not surprising to anyone familiar why the area is so popular for period pieces. Previous productions shooting here are too numerous to mention, but this may be Orchard Street’s most significantly altered state since Steven Soderburg’s Cinemax vehicle, “The Knick,” was filmed here in 2014–2015."

Scorcese’s romance of 1960-70’s New York City, always brings out a bevvy of amazing images. Vintage cars littered the neighborhood and included a Cadillac, Lincoln, Chevy, Dodge and Plymouth. The scene in question on Friday evening included a swanky (mob?) family arriving via a Sedan De Ville to Umberto’s Clam House (Tictail Market). Across the street, Irving Coffee Roasters had been completely turned into Al’s Shoes, where the cast and crew was treated to a cupcake party celebrating their friend Marty’s birthday.

As is often the case on big production sets, there seemed to be one person for every specific task that could be imagined. Prior to the Umberto’s arrival scene, a scenic artist came out to paint dirt onto the facade.

























The cast includes Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino (as Hoffa), Harvey Keitel, Joe Pesci, Bobby Cannavale and Ray Romano. This Daily Mail post has pics of the cast on set.

It's 1958 (still) on St. Mark's Place — not to mention Christmas

It's like Santa's Workshop on St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue... where crews have been busy prepping for shooting the Amazon series "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" ... the dramedy is set in 1958. And apparently around Christmas, as these photos via Scuba Diva show...







Some of the storefronts have been redressed to look like old-timey businesses...


[You in the Iron Maiden shirt — move to another decade!]

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Meanwhile!

The block is full of some old-timey automobiles as well, as Derek Berg discovered...









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Looks like a big shoot... as of early this morning, there wasn't any parking allowed on parts of Avenue A from St. Mark's Place to Sixth Street, and on a few of the side streets...



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Updated 8 p.m.



Here's a look at Physical Graffitea on St. Mark's Place this evening... dressed up as Quality Shoe Repair for the shoot, but open for business right now...



Photos by Steven...

Actors come out of their shells on East 7th Street

Crews seem to be everywhere today filming "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Half Shell" (aka "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II" or "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Half Shell.")

EVG contributor Derek Berg spotted this scene outside Vazac's/Horseshoe Bar/7B on East Seventh Street and Avenue B. (The bar will be closed today and tomorrow for filming.)



TMNT2, arguably the most prestigious production to film here since "The Smurfs Movie," stars Megan Fox, Will Arnett, William Fichtner, Tyler Perry and Laura Linney.

Bonus flashback to May 2010

First look at Pancake Paradise on Avenue C

Crews have transformed Esperanto on Avenue C and East Ninth Street into the Pancake Paradise for a film shoot (the tipster who sent along these shots didn't catch the name of the project) …



As the sign shows, Esperanto will be back in service Wednesday evening…

Updated: A readers says the shoot is for "How to Be Single" starring Dakota Johnson.

How you can get Julianne Moore, Ethan Hawke and Greta Gerwig into your East Village apartment

Courtesy of movie-making magic, of course… EVG reader Kelly Virginia Vinson shared this flyer from a building on East Second Street between Avenue A and Avenue B… crews are scouting for an East Village apartment for use in late February.

Details are on the flyer for the film directed by Rebecca Miller called "Maggie's Plan."

Christmas returning to the East Village this week with Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt

At least in the form of a film shoot for an Untitled Christmas Eve project starring Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anthony Mackie.

According to the production notes, the comedy "is about an annual reunion of three childhood best friends on Christmas Eve."

The studio has already given it a Nov. 25 release date.

Crews will be filming overnight Tuesday into Wednesday at 650 E. Sixth St., 108 Avenue B (Vazac's/7B) and Tompkins Square Park, according to the handy fliers on East Seventh Street…

Surprise! 'Taxi Driver 2' isn't actually filming on St. Mark's Place now

Last Sunday we spotted those film-shoot signs for "Taxi Driver 2" on St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

Likely either a code name for another unrelated film or a gag. (Of course, Robert DeNiro has expressed interest in a "Taxi Driver" sequel.)

Anyway, per the above sign, crews were to be filming now. And St. Mark's Place has been film-crew free all weekend.



Meanwhile, Gothamist spotted "Annie Hall 2" film-shoot signs on the Upper East Side last week. (A source in The Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment told Gothamist that the signs were not related to any productions that have applied for filming permits.)

What next, signs for "Weekend at Bernie's II"? (Oh, right…)

Today in possibly bad ideas

Film shoot signs are so common we barely stop to look at them (Oh, Flesh & Bone again!)

This notice on St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue might give you pause.

TAXI DRIVER 2!

While the idea of a sequel to the DeNiro- Scorsese classic has been floated, this isn't it.

Actually we have no idea what this is for at the moment. A gag project name likely. Maybe we will call Chad the location manager.

H/T EVG reader Steven!

Lighting 'Flesh and Bone'

A scene last night from East 10th Street and First Avenue … where filming for a new series called "Flesh and Bone" took place…

Photo by S. Varet.

'Newsroom' flash!

You may have sign the signs up like this one on East 12th Street... Aaron Sorkin's "The Newsroom" will be filming in parts of the neighborhood today and tomorrow...

Dave on 7th, who took the photo, asks, "Wonder what big news event they'll be recreating?"

Oh, and the second season starts on HBO on July 14. Guest stars this season will include Jane Fonda, Patton Oswalt and Marcia Gay Harden.

Another show that I've never seen. Anyone?

TV show love outside Vazac's

"Golden Boy" cast members Theo James and Bonnie Somerville (yes, we looked it up) on Seventh Street and Avenue B today. The incoming CBS NYPD-related drama about the two best looking detectives in history filmed all over the place today... or so it seemed.

Photo by Bobby Williams.

Can a Movie Set Ruin Your Weekend?

KIDDING WITH THAT HEADLINE.

Crews for the feature motion picture presentation "Can a Song Save Your Life?" have been been spotted around the Lower East Side this week. (BoweryBoogie has photos here.)

IMDB describes the plot this way: "A dejected music business executive forms a bond with a young singer-songwriter new to Manhattan."

Today, and this weekend, crews will be on parts of East Sixth Street, Avenue B, Seventh Street and elsewhere... we wholly expect them to film inside Vazac's at some point too...

Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo and Catherine Keener star in the film that John ("Once") Carney is directing from his own screenplay.

Today in TV commercials filming in front of Veniero's

Chase continues to film a commercial or something around the neighborhood... seen here on East 11th Street at First Avenue right now ...

...where Shawn Chittle found an briefly unattended craft services tent...

'Boardwalk Empire' will likely make the East Village look old-timey today

Crews for HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" have been filming around the Lower East Side lately... EV Grieve reader Han Shan notes the signs along 11th Street between Third Avenue and First Avenue... where crews will be filming today...

Keep an eye out for old-timey cars and, maybe!, Steve Buscemi in some rather warm-looking 1920s clothing...

A movie that people may actually want to see filming in the East Village

You know, it's usually "Step Up 3D" or the Smurfs movie...

An independent movie called "A Late Quartet" will be filming in and around the East Village this winter... such as on Seventh Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue tomorrow... and later this week on Avenue C... the film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener...

According to Variety: "Story centers on a quartet whose members have performed together for 25 years and have to adjust to one of them retiring due to Parkinson's disease."

It's worth noting that Frederick Elmes is serving as the director of photography... he has worked with Jim Jarmusch and David Lynch, including "Wild at Heart," "Blue Velvet" and "Eraserhead."

East Village Cathedral stars alongside Angelina Jolie in 'Salt'

Waaaaay back in May 2009, Angelina Jolie, the former semi-crusty of Tompkins Square Park, came to the East Village while filming "Salt," the mineral-turn-CIA thriller....



The crew filmed on Second Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue inside the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Protection. In honor of the movie opening today... let's take a look at the role the Cathedral played in the film...



First! Woo! Angelina over here! Here she is on Second Street!



With the ball-in-chain in tow on the Cathedral steps...



Anyway, according to the website, the crew used the Cathedral to replicate the interior of the Makariev Monastery in Russia when it was an orphanage in 1970s Soviet Russia. You see, Angelina plays a spy who may or may not be Russian...so this might be some flashback scene or something...






No idea whether these scenes made it into the movie... Perhaps I'll by a pirated DVD from that guy on the corner for $5 to see.

Also, curious about what kind of location fee the Cathedral received...

Updated: A Scouting Life shares a "Salt" review with us... "It took years, but 'The Last Boy Scout' finally has competition for the most ludicrous action film ever made."

Ouch! That's seriously bad.

And I asked if the Cathedral made the cut. Yes, but!: "They did shoot the orphanage but the scenes there were all pretty soft focus and dreamlike so you didn't see much of it."



Previously on EV Grieve:
Why the paparazzi will be in the East Village tomorrow (OMG! Angelina!)

I hope that "Salt" is a more exciting movie than these photos

About Angelina Jolie's "semi-crusty phase" in Tompkins Square Park