Contrary to the intimation of reports broadcast this weekend, production of the ABC movie about the rescue of the Quecreek miners isn't hightailing it back to Los Angeles.
Producer Jack Clements said a production office is about to open in Somerset and filming is set to begin the third or fourth week in September.
"Everything above ground -- the recovery site, the church, the fire station, homes, the town center, farms -- is in Somerset," Clements said yesterday, estimating that 12 days will be spent filming in Pennsylvania and 12 days on a sound stage in Los Angeles.
Originally ABC executives indicated the whole film would be shot here, but the complexity of the mine flooding in the underground sequences necessitated something different.
"Because of the special effects work that needs to be done, we need to shoot that part in Los Angeles," he said in a phone call from Somerset. "We explored doing it here, but because of the degree of special effects re-creating the flood like in 'Titanic,' it requires a more special situation.
"We're doing everything in Somerset that can be done in Somerset," Clements said. "We're not going to Los Angeles to re-create it in a different setting."
More 'Mole,' no more 'Wolfe'
Daily Variety reports ABC has ordered two new editions of reality game show "The Mole." One will feature average Americans, and the other will show celebrities playing the game.
Although yanked not long after the premiere of its second season last fall, "The Mole" performed well in key demographics when it returned to the air this summer.
A&E's "Nero Wolfe" is a different story. The network canceled the period drama, which was in its second season. A&E said it could not justify the cost of production given the show's moderate level of ratings success.
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