Harrison Ford better get some long johns

February 23 2001
Winnipeg Free Press
by Dinah Clarkson

Producers of his newest big-budget movie, about a nuclear meltdown on a Russian submarine, have picked frozen Lake Winnipeg to shoot some of the scenes, and that could bring the Hollywood heavyweight to Manitoba's Interlake region.

And he may bring co-star and fellow heartthrob Liam Neeson with him. Producers of K-19: The Widowmaker, a movie from Intermedia Films International (The Wedding Planner), want to shoot a few scenes on a frozen lake -- and naturally they thought of Winnipeg, or at least Lake Winnipeg. (Aha! The blustery cold comes in handy after all!)

Whether Ford and Neeson will be taking part has yet to be confirmed, but cast and crew will spend a few days shooting in the area in mid-March. And for a town like Gimli, a likely base for the crew, that could be good news.

"We've worked on being ready for things like this," said Gimli Mayor Bill Barlow, adding the town has been a film location before. "I think it's part of a long-range profile-builder. Attracting something like this in winter certainly helps."

Barlow said he's been told the crew will be in town March 9 and 10, where, should Ford and Neeson blow in, they can rub shoulders with the province's Liberals, who are holding a convention there that weekend.

"We'll be just fine," Barlow said of the community's ability to house the film crew and the Grits.

The historical thriller, based on a true story, is set in the early 1960s and tells of the Russian submarine K-19, whose captain (played by Ford) led efforts to rescue the vessel from nuclear meltdown. Neeson plays Ford's second-in-command. Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break) is directing the film.

Most of the movie is being shot in Russia and Halifax. Some filming will also take place in Toronto, where production offices have been set up. The navy in Halifax has apparently already provided cast and crew with submarine training.

Ford, 58, is best known for playing on-screen heroes Indiana Jones, and Han Solo from the original Star Wars trilogy. Most recently, he co-starred opposite Michelle Pfeiffer in What Lies Beneath, No. 10 on 2000's list of highest-grossing films.

Neeson, who hails from Northern Ireland, also has Star Wars ties -- he had a significant role in 1999's The Phantom Menace. The 48-year-old had starring roles in Schindler's List and Rob Roy, too.

No official budget information has been released for K-19, but for an idea of the size of the project, consider this: According to L.A.-based industry magazine Variety, Ford alone will cost financiers $25 million.

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