BREAKING NEWS–PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 3 to film at Site 9 in Palmdale, California

We know where the cast and crew of the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN sequels will be making berth when filming resumes; on Monday, April 17, the Los Angeles World Airports Board of Airport Commissioners approved a use permit for Second Mate Productions Inc. to film portions of two sequels to 2003’s PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL in Hangar 703 at 30th Street East and Avenue P in Palmdale, California. “The production company plans to start a seven-month residence on May 1 at the Site 9 facility on Palmdale Regional Airport property,” a local newspaper reports. The POTC crew will commandeer the 264,000-square-foot Hangar 703 “for various production and filming functions, including the construction of a film set,” according to the agenda. The company will also use “40,000 square feet of the west half of the high bay area” in Site 9’s Hangar 704.

The facilities at Site 9 have been used by filmmakers before: in 2003, Steven Spielberg built a massive airport set in hangar 703 to film THE TERMINAL, with Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Tom Cruise’s MISSION IMPOSSIBLE III shot “green screen” special effects footage at Site 9. No word yet on when filming will take place; although the production company will be in residence from May 1st through the end of November, some of that time will be spent preparing the site, and some time at the end will be spent dismantling and removing the set. We wish smooth sailing and a successful shoot to everyone involved.

The Zone thanks theresa for breaking the story; you can read the full article on the News & Views forum.