Oscar nominee Ed Harris and cast finishing up Minnesota-shot movie ‘Downtown Owl’

Minnesota has a starring purpose in a movie that is envisioned to wrap up manufacturing afterwards this week.

“Downtown Owl,” centered on the Chuck Klosterman novel of the same title, has been shooting below considering that April 3. In St. Paul, it filmed for a week at Highland Park Significant Faculty and a further 7 days at Spot Bar. It also shot scenes in Independence and Elko New Marketplace.

All of people destinations are standing in for the fictional town of Owl, N.D., the location of Klosterman’s novel, which requires spot in 1983 and 1984. That’s the place Horace (performed by 4-time Oscar nominee Ed Harris) satisfies with buddies to examine their life’s regrets and the place high college teacher Julia (Lily Rabe, who was Nicole Kidman’s attorney pal in “The Undoing”) hangs out, ingesting to forget her woes in scenes shot at Place.

“I optioned the rights to the ebook with Lily, who is my generating spouse, quite a few decades in the past,” mentioned Bettina Barrow, a lawyer-turned-filmmaker. “Lily had completed the audiobook [of ‘Owl’] back in 2008 and, randomly, I experienced located it at a bookstore in Portland, Oregon, and we both assumed it need to be a motion picture.”

Despite the fact that the book is established in North Dakota, that point out does not have tax credits for filmmakers. Minnesota does, although — a transferable, 25 % credit for companies that invest at least $1 million below — and that was plenty of to draw in “Downtown Owl” producers, who commenced environment up shop in March.

“We needed landscapes that could double for North Dakota,” Barrow explained. “I finished up connecting with Melodie Bahan and Jill Johansen at the Movie Board and they have been unbelievably valuable.”

The script is by actor Hamish Linklater (“The New Adventures of Old Christine”), who is co-directing with Rabe. In addition to Harris and Rabe, the cast consists of Vanessa Hudgens (“Tick Tick Growth”) and Henry Golding (“Insane Abundant Asians”). Regional actors incorporate Derek Hughes, Arden Michalec and Emma Halleen.

The movie — like Klosterman’s novel — climaxes with its figures trapped in a blizzard. So, like the Minnesota-shot “Fargo,” “Owl” has had to count on artificially-created precipitation made by distinctive results skilled Dieter Sturm (who’s credited as “snowmaker” on “Fargo”).

“It really is been outstanding to look at. We shot Ed Harris’ character, Horace, in his dwelling in a blizzard in Independence,” mentioned Barrow, who admits that as a Texas resident she’s a very little free with the term “blizzard.”

“We experienced piles and piles of snow in entrance of that house, and then it also snowed for genuine.”

Also on board the job is songs legend T Bone Burnett, an Oscar and Grammy winner who’s executing the music. All the big names have been attracted by the script and the other artists, according to Barrow, who joked, “Most agents are not telling their star clients to function for [Screen Actors Guild] low-price range scale in Minnesota in a blizzard.”

The plan is to comprehensive “Downtown Owl” in time for the Sundance Film Festival’s November submission deadline (Barrow is a Sundance fellow). If recognized, it would premiere up coming January. No release day is established but “Downtown Owl” will be dispersed by Sony Photographs Around the globe Acquisitions and Stage 6 Movies.