War of the Worlds remake shooting in NJ !

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Bayonne's Henry Sanchez had a surprise visitor at his downtown home recently. Henry said: "Steven Spielberg was here about two weeks ago. He knocked on my door and said, 'Hello, I'm Steven Spielberg.'".

Bayonne will soon be seeing a lot of the Hollywood film director when he begins filming "War of the Worlds". Pre-production work has begun and city lawyers are in the process of negotiating terms for use of various public properties. Holly Whidden, a publicist for Paramount Pictures in New York, confirmed yesterday that the studio is planning a film of that name with Cruise and that it is "in the early stages of production". Shooting may start next month and could wrap by December, one city official said. It is slated for a summer release.

When the director came calling, Sanchez said he had no doubt it was the real deal, because "I looked outside and he had about 20 people with him. They were visiting all the homes in this area - Kennedy Boulevard, Pointview Terrace, First Street. Then he asked permission to come in and look at my house." Once inside the two-story house, near the southern end of Kennedy Boulevard, Spielberg scanned a collection of World War II photos (Sanchez is a World War II Navy veteran who participated in the D-Day Invasion of Europe).

The Oscar-winning director then toured the backyard patio deck and above-ground pool, Sanchez said, "He spent a good half hour here." Sanchez said. We exchanged a few social words and I offered him a drink, but he politely declined. He's a nice gentleman. And then he left, but some of his crew stayed and looked around a little more and then they left and I forgot all about it - until about four hours later, when David McGuire, a scout, rang the bell.".

"David says, 'Henry, Steven says there's no sense looking at any other house. He wants to film in your house,'" Sanchez recalled. "He loves this area, downtown." Since then, Sanchez said, pre-production crews have been back several times to visit, snapping pictures and taking measurements of various settings in and out of the house. They've also removed his outdoor pool, he said.

As many as nine homes in the area may be involved in the upcoming shooting, Sanchez said. Several downtown residents said Paramount representatives either visited or left fliers at homes, soliciting the use of homes and backyards that could be occupied by actors during filming. One resident said: "They were looking specifically at one-and two-family homes along Kennedy Boulevard near the Bayonne Bridge.".

Several city officials said they were told by studio representatives that Spielberg and company want to build a structure - probably a gas station or auto body shop - on the Little League field on the south side of First Street near Kennedy Boulevard and then blow it up. Mayor Joseph V. Doria Jr. said that if the city comes to terms with the studio on that proposal, Paramount would have to return the field to at least the same, if not better, condition, and city Law Director John Coffey II said he would be negotiating a lease agreement with the studio for use of the property, a portion of which is reportedly owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. "Our city ordinance calls for a payment of $50 a day for a permit to film on city streets, but this (build and destroy plan) is a bit different," Coffey said.

Bayonne Local Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Nancy Kist couldn't be reached yet, but it's expected that the BLRA would execute a lease agreement with Paramount for the use of studio space on property at the former MOT, now called the Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor. The city hopes, eventually, to have a permanent film/TV studio setup at the Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor.

Source: The Jersey Journal / Ronald Leir + Lauren DeFilippo