Universal Studios Hollywood says that most of the sets destroyed last June when a fire ripped through part of its back lot will reopen this summer.
Production will resume in midsummer on the rebuilt New York streetscape – featured in “Spider-Man 2” and “Transformers” – plus Courthouse Square and Brownstone Street, a studio press release said.
Roofers using a blowtorch accidentally started the fire June 1. The blaze also destroyed the King Kong attraction and a video vault.
New sets including a London-based street and a modern urban cityscape will also open.
No announcement has been made on rebuilding King Kong. The vault is under construction.
General Electric Co. said in its fourth-quarter earnings report that media subsidiary NBC Universal Inc.’s film and parks unit reported a $225 million gain from insurance benefits relating to the fire.
Gene Hackman Tributes Pour In From Francis Ford Coppola, Viola Davis, Clint Eastwood and Paul Feig, Among Others
Director Francis Ford Coppola, actor Viola Davis, director Paul Feig and and actor-director Clint Eastwood are among those paying tribute to Gene Hackman after his death at age 95. Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog were found dead in their New Mexico home, authorities said Thursday.
"The loss of a great artist, always cause for both mourning and celebration: Gene Hackman a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity, I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution." โ Francis Ford Coppola on Instagram.
"There was no finer actor than Gene. Intense and instinctive. Never a false note. He was also a dear friend whom I will miss very much." โ actor-director Clint Eastwood in a statement.
"He was a tough nut, Gene Hackman, but he was really good and he was really difficult. Like, we can say it now, but he was a tough guy because older great actors do not give young directors much of a chance. They're really rough on 'em." โ Bill Murray, recounting to The Associated Press Thursday how Hackman worked on the set of the "Royal Tenenbaums," including doing multiple takes flawlessly when other performers didn't nail the scene. "He was a great one. He was a great actor."
"We have lost a true legend. The magnificent Gene Hackman has passed away. A man whose breath of talent was immeasurable. Growing up on his movies was an absolute thrill for me. To observe his remarkable facility and humanity in every role was something to behold. Whatever film he was in, he made it better. A force of nature like no other and as such there will never be another like him." โ actor Cary Elwes.
"The greatest ... " โ director Edgar Wright on X.
"So awful. Gene was such an inspiration to so many of... Read More