Studio:
Warner Brothers.
Production Company:
Baltimore Spring Creek Pictures.
Project Phase: Greenlighted.
Who's In It:
Ben Foster; Joe Mantegna; Adrien Brody; Bebe Neuwirth; Richard Kline; David Krumholtz; Carolyn Murphy;
Vincent Guastaferro; Orlando Jones; Kiersten Warren.
Who's Making It:
Barry Levinson (Director, Screenwriter); Paula Weinstein, Barry Levinson (Producers);
Chris Doyle (Director of Photography); Vincent Peranio (Production Designer); Ennio Morricone, Andres Morricone (Musical Score).
Premise: A yearin the life of a Jewish family living in Baltimore between Rosh Hashanah, 1954 and 1955. With segregation coming to an end the family begins to realize that their tiny community is becoming more and more ethnically diverse as other minorities leave the inner city. While this all happens, the father is involved with staging an illegal lottery that draws the attention of the F.B.I.
Release Date: Unknown.
Comments: It's the fourth installment of Levinson's semi-autobiographical Baltimore-based film series that began with Diner and continued with Tin Men and Avalon.
Rumors: Unknown.
Scoop Feedback:
[Page draft submitted by 'Deadpool'.]
June 23, 1998... Variety reports that Barry LevinsonÆs Baltimore Pictures and Paula WeinsteinÆs Spring Creek Productions have formalized a long expected merger of their Warner Bros.-based production companies. The new company, called Baltimore Spring Creek Pictures, will kick off with Liberty Heights, a project scripted by Levinson. Levinson and Weinstein are eyeing a fall shoot of the film, which is just one of several in development for production under their merged shingle.
Levinson was quoted by Variety as saying "It takes place between 1954 and 1955, which means it precedes Diner and falls right in the middle of Avalon. In some ways the stories intersect, and this one covers race, religion and class distinction, in a comedy-drama fashion. WeÆll be modestly budgeted and will use a predominantly unknown ensemble cast since weÆre dealing with characters between 18 and 21." One storyline concerns the main high school-aged characterÆs father, a role a star could certainly step into. [Scoop provided by 'Deadpool'.]
September 24, 1998... Ben Foster, Joe Mantegna and Adrien Brody have climbed onboard the project. The movie will begin shooting later on this fall in, yup, you guessed it, Baltimore. [Reported by 'Deadpool'.]
October 20, 1998... Some news from an extra on the production: "On October 11th I was an extra on this film. Growing up in east Baltimore I know that the premise is true. I didn't meet my first Jewish person until I was a senior in high school. My Jewish friends tell me that they couldn't conceive of large non-Jewish neighborhoods when they grew up on the West side. Filming started October 6th and is scheduled in Baltimore until December 5th. I think they move back to L.A. at that point. No release date has been set." [Thanks to our favorite Baltimorian, 'C.A. Eye'.]
October 27, 1998... "Shooting has been taking place all this week in downtown Baltimore near the monument on North Charles Street." [Scoop provided by 'Jnation'.]