Motherless Brooklyn, the Edward Norton-penned adaptation of Jonathan Lethem’s 1999 novel, took over Washington Square Park today, transforming the public space into a scene straight out of the 1950s.
Norton, who also directs and acts in the film, plays a lonely private investigator with Tourette’s searching for his only friend and mentor’s killer. Willem Dafoe, Alec Baldwin, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, among others, are set to join the cast. The film, set against the backdrop of 1950s New York, will be released next year.
Hundreds of appropriately attired extras were in front of the arch this afternoon, filming what looked to be a protest scene.
Head down to Washington Square Park to enter a time machine to the 1950s! Check out these snaps from the #MotherlessBrooklyn filming today: pic.twitter.com/aYJA62xvyp
— Washington Square Park Conservancy (@WSPConservancy) February 28, 2018
“I always get cast as these protestors … I was excited to be ‘Gay Bar Patron.’” -overheard an extra talking about his career on the #MotherlessBrooklyn set pic.twitter.com/Vq5vgIZUzk
— Téa Kvetenadze (@teakve) February 28, 2018
Filming has also taken place in other locations around the city, with a stretch of Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights getting a similar transformation last week, Brownstoner reports. Check out some of their photos here, and keep an eye out for Edward Norton in the meantime.
Had my Back to the future moment As I rode my 2018 electric Boosted long board right thru the set under the Arch at Washington square. Filled with hundreds of people dressed in 1950’s style clothing with matching era cars parked on the street I zoomed by blasting Everything She Wants by Wham that came out in 1985 out of my 2018 Bluetooth stereo UE Boom speakers via an HTC U11 smart phone in my pocket. Nobody tried to stop me and cast and crew were digging it, goodtimes goodtimes.