Captain America filming in Manchester

Sleuth got the scoop on this from one of our readers over a month ago, but here’s the official word on the filming of a key scene for the Hollywood movie Captain America: The First Avenger in our very own Northern Quarter...

The filming location was organised by Vision+Media's film office, which has facilitated other major movie productions in Manchester including Sherlock Holmes and Alfie. They suggested the area to Marvel because of its wide streets, towering buildings and pre-war architecture.

Hollywood’s Marvel Productions will be making its way to Manchester to begin filming on Saturday 18 September-Friday 1 October. Two weeks prior to filming, work will be carried out to alter the look of a number of buildings on Dale and Tariff Street. This will include new signage and shop fronts to hide all evidence of 2010 and recreate 1940s New York for a dramatic car chase scene which will include explosions, special effects, the lot.

The filming location was organised by Vision+Media's film office, which has facilitated other major movie productions in Manchester including Sherlock Holmes and Alfie. They suggested the area to Marvel because of its wide streets, towering buildings and pre-war architecture.

Captain America: The First Avenger is based on the comic book of the same name and is scheduled for release in July 2011. Hollywood actor Chris Evans will play the lead role as Captain America and the film will be directed by Joe Johnston. British actor Dominic Copper will play Howard Stark- a weapons entrepreneur who featured in this year's Iron Man 2film.

The story follows a brave, yet mild-mannered, young soldier named Steve Rogers, who volunteers to undergo a series of experiments for the US Army Super Soldier program. The military succeeds in transforming him into a human weapon and Steve Rogers becomes Captain America, earning his way into the hearts and souls of every American and bringing hope and justice to a war-weary nation.

According to Vision+Media, the project is expected to be highly beneficial to the region and provide an economic boost, with previous filming in Greater Manchester bringing in an estimated £23m.