North Shore Views

Contagion in Wilmette

Wilmette is in for a bad case of celebrity-itis.

Even those of us who spurn Us Weekly and its ilk, will not be immune to the fever when the cast and crew from a new movie descend upon the town in a couple of months.

The movie is called “Contagion” and it is an action-thriller about the worldwide outbreak of a deadly disease, and the international team of doctors contracted by the CDC to deal with the epidemic. Apparently it won’t be a sensationalist sci-fi movie, but rather an examination of how different groups (media, politicians, medical community and the general public) deal with the threat of a worldwide pandemic.

Director Steven Soderbergh must have liked the North Shore when he was here last time (shooting Ocean’s Twelve in Winnetka and Lake Forest), but this time he’s going to show Wilmette some love. He has several locations already scouted, including Central School, Gillson Park, a private home on Greenleaf and the Wm H. Scott Funeral Home. (Guess that’s where they’ll take all the bodies of people killed off by the virus). Filming in Wilmette is set to take place between November 23 and December 9.

It’s got quite the star-studded cast:

Gwyneth Paltrow as Beth Emhoff, a business woman who returns from Asia and comes down with a mysterious ailment.

Matt Damon as her husband, who is forced to care for her as her condition worsens.

Laurence Fishburne as Dr. Ellis Cheever, head of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control)

Kate Winslet as Erin Mears, a doctor for the CDC.

Jude Law as a blogger with an unfortunate interest in conspiracy theories.

Parts of the movie will also be shot out in Elgin at the old Sherman Hospital, as well as outside a Yorkville High School.

The movie is set for release in October 2011.

Tags: Contagion

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 6th, 2010 at 9:10 am and is filed under Community Events, Living here, Local curiosities, Wilmette. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1. Hap Hazzard said at November 9th, 2010 at 2:41 pm

   This will be the deadly serious Larry Fishburne I take it. The one that drills you with that Fishburne stare. Yes, I put my mask on Doc! I mean I meant to! Ahhhh. Clean’s hit, captain he’s hit! Cleeeeean.

   Nothing like a hot CDC doc with a London accent and designer glasses. You just know she’ll have glasses on. Much hotter that way with the tights, doctor coat and all.

2. Steve Harp said at December 10th, 2010 at 8:49 am

   BOO! This “epic” has taken over a 5 block radius around my daughter’s school in Evanston (Roycemore) causing no end of transportation problems as we try to get our kids into their schoolday. Of course I’m SURE the production company has generously compensated the school AND neighbors for the inconvenience of not only colonizing the neighborhood for the weekend (hopefully no longer) as well as inflicting yet another piece of insipid dreck on our visual culture. BOO!

Leave a Reply