Hollywood in historic Van Buren: Main Street to be used as movie set

VAN BUREN — Hollywood is coming to town with a movie shooting on Main Street on July 14, leading to the temporary closure of part of the street.

The City Council unanimously approved the street closure Monday at the request of an executive with the SkipStone Pictures movie studio. The blocks within the approved area, from 400 to 600 Main Street, will be closed for the duration of July 14.

“We’re really proud of this film and really think that downtown Van Buren will showcase the scene we want to show of a character coming to town,” said SkipStone Pictures executive Lesa Crowell.

SkipStone Pictures shoots primarily in Arkansas and Oklahoma. According to its website, the studio films in these two states for the financial benefits and tax credits, as well as the natural beauty and historic sites. The studio was originally founded in California, but began filming in Arkansas in 2018 with its feature film “FREDI,” which tells the story of an Arkansan who finds and befriends a robot.

Crowell said the current film is a period piece called “Broken Trail” set in 1875. Notable stars in the film include Graham Greene and Jeremy Sumpter.

Greene's previous works include “Dances with Wolves” (1990), “Atlantic Rim” (2013), “Die Hard with a Vengeance” (1995) and “The Green Mile” (1999). Sumpter's previous works include “Peter Pan” (2003), “Frailty” (2001) and “Into the Storm” (2014).

“Broken Trail” will be about a secret spy group created to infiltrate the Confederate Army during the American Civil War.

Crowell said only one scene will be shot on the street, but much of the film will be shot inside the historic King Opera House, located at 427 Main St.

“The King Opera House has been featured in a number of different films that have been filmed in Van Buren, and we are very excited that the house will once again be featured in another feature film,” said Bill Ratcliff, director of the building and the Arts on Main organization.

According to Ratcliff, this will be the fifth film shot in the building. When a film is shot at the King Opera House, Ratcliff asks the studio to send him a copy of the film's poster. He then displays the poster to commemorate the film and celebrate the opera's role in it.

The King Opera House, owned by the city and operated by Arts on Main, was built in 1891 and renovated in 1919 after a fire damaged the building in 1914. Part of the Van Buren National Historic District, the opera house is a protected building that must follow guidelines regarding exterior preservation.

The only notable change the studio will make to the house will be the addition of a temporary wall to cover the convenience stand, making it more appropriate for the time period in which the film is set, Ratcliff said.

Julie Jett, the mayor's administrative assistant who worked closely with Crowell, also said the streets department would lay dirt along the 400 to 600 blocks to add to the old-world look of the decor cinema without permanently changing the historic and protected city center.

“I love our downtown. It’s beautiful, and any time it can be used in a movie and we can showcase the city of Van Buren, it’s just awesome,” Jett said.

The film does not yet have a release date or official promotional materials.

Flowers hang from a light pole on the 600 block of Main Street in downtown Van Buren on Friday. The City Council approved Monday closing the 400 to 600 blocks of Main Street on July 14 for the filming of a SkipStone Pictures movie. Visit rivervalleydemocratgazette.com/photo for today's photo gallery. (River Valley Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)

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