ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — The legendary Don CeSar in St. Pete Beach will soon have a leading role on the silver screen.
What You Need To Know
The movie is based on the book “Losing Earth” by Nathaniel Rich and stars Paul Rudd, Evan Peters, Amy Ryan, Paul Giamatti, John Turturro, Tatiana Maslany and Jason Clarke
Extras and production crews are being recruited locally to work on the project
The film could be released by the end of the year
Academy Award winner Tom McCarthy is directing the film, titled The Statement, on location at the Pinellas County landmark.
“In 1980, a bunch of government officials, climate scientists and activists came together with the sole purpose of talking about climate change and to try and come out with a unified statement,” said Jonathan Schwartz, one of the producers of The Statement.
The movie is based on the book “Losing Earth” by Nathaniel Rich and stars Paul Rudd, Evan Peters, Amy Ryan, Paul Giamatti, John Turturro, Tatiana Maslany and Jason Clarke.
Extras and production crews are being recruited locally to work on the project.
“I’m an actress in the area and I’ve worked on commercials in the background before, but I’ve never done film, so I’m really excited for this opportunity,” said Paula Espinosa, who was styled and fitted for her role as an extra in the film that starts shooting Monday.
Producers say deciding to film at the Don CeSar was easy.
“Creatively, it had to be here, this is the place the real conference took place,” said Schwartz, who is excited to bring the production to Pinellas County.
Locally recruited extras will be styled in 1980’s era costumes. (Spectrum News/Melissa Eichman)
Visit St. Pete-Clearwater says filming locally is huge for the film industry and community impact both short and long-term.
“On a large-scale production like this, they’ve got the whole crew in town. They’re staying in hotels in and around the area. They’re here for an extended period of time. And so there’s a lot of direct economic impact from that,” said Dave Caputo, Film Commissioner with Visit St. Pete-Clearwater.
“On a worldwide stage, you’re going to have a film that’s featuring our destination, and I think that’s going to be really important,” said Caputo. “And you know, film tourism is a real thing, people see things on screen and they say, wow, where is that? I’d really like to go there.”
In the meantime, Espinosa prepares to go to the 80’s for her big screen debut.
“I’m ready, I’m ready,” she said.
The film could be released by the end of the year.