Summer of Superman: A Stroll Down the Downtown Set
Check out the "Man of Steel" set on Plano's Main Street before it's closed for shooting.
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A prop barber shop sits on Main Street in Plano as crews prepare to film Superman movie "Man of Steel" on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2011. The barber shop was built in an open space on the north side of Main Street near Hugh Street.
Corey R. Minkanic
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Some wonder who will be the first to try to pump gas at the 7-Eleven along Plano’s Main Street.
The gas station isn’t real.
It’s part of this small town’s transformation into Clark Kent’s Smallville for filming of the new Superman reboot Man of Steel.
Crews also built structures in vacant lots flanking the town’s depot, closed off Hugh Street north of Main Street to build a Sears and constructed a barber shop in another open space.
“When you look at it, you can see the chairs of the barbershop,” said Richard Healy, executive director of the Plano Area Chamber of Commerce.
Crews were still working on the set this week, but Healy suggested fans check it out before filming starts there. The set—and in a few cases, a block or so surrounding the set—will be closed to the public during filming, Healy said.
Production schedules and ideas can change, but Healy said that at some point soldiers will repel into the set from a helicopter. Other scenes could leave brass casings in the street, he said.
“They’re going to be blowing stuff up,” Healy said.
The Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday that the Main Street will be featured in a major tornado scene, with officials choosing Plano to depict Smallville after scouting about 50 rural towns.
Several media outlets, including MTV.com, reported this week that Laurence Fishburne has been cast as the Daily Planet's editor-in-chief. He'll join Amy Adams as Lois Lane and Henry Cavill as Clark Kent.
Meanwhile, Healy said filming downtown is set for about two weeks in mid-August, although Crain’s Chicago Business recently reported filming will be from Aug. 22 to 29.
“It’s always a moving target,” Healy said.
This week, crews filmed at Centennial Elementary School on the town’s south side, which won’t interfere with the beginning of the academic year, Healy said.
Also online:
• Area resident Gregory Zonsius compiled a Google map of various shooting locations based on information he found online.
• Warner Brothers released images of actor Henry Cavill in Superman's suit, according to EW.com. Click here to see images of it.
• An unofficial "Superman: Man of Steel (2013)" page is active on Facebook with more than 1,400 fans.
• TribLocal Naperville posted a map showing what sections of downtown Plano are going to be blocked.
Jillian Duchnowski
8:06 am on Monday, August 8, 2011
Hey, readers! I'm trying to put together a light-hearted list of "super-sized" rumors for a future Summer of Superman column. What is the most outrageous, funny or you're-pretty-sure-it's-true rumor you've heard about the movie since crews hit Plano?