It looks like Missouri’s own Cape Girardeau has a good chance of standing in for the fictional town of North Carthage, Missouri, as the setting of Gone Girl.  Last week, a location scout for 20th Century Fox reached out to homeowners in Cape Girardeau about using their homes in the movie.

A best-selling novel by Gillian FlynnGone Girl will soon be adapted into a feature film directed by David Fincher (Fight Club, The Social Network, Se7en, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and produced by Reese Witherspoon (who obtained the screen rights to Gone Girl for a reported US$1.5 million).

They know specifically what they’re looking for, so they have gone out in the community, approaching businesses, approaching area residents, seeking their involvement, their permission to maybe use their property and so forth for the filming.
— Chuck Martin, executive director of Convention and Visitors Bureau

Author Gillian Flynn is on board to write the screenplay, with Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike to star as the married couple Nick and Amy.

No. 1 on the New York Times Hardcover Fiction Bestseller list for eight weeks, Gone Girl was one of the biggest literary phenomenon of 2012. The book sold more than 2 million copies, was nominated for numerous literary awards, and universally praised by all the major publications in the country,  including The New York TimesThe New Yorker, TimePublishers Weekly, Entertainment Weeklyand USA Today - to name a few.


Cape Girardeau as a Film Location

Last April, location scouts and production managers approached city leaders about filming Gone Girl in Cape Girardeau.

“They know specifically what they’re looking for, so they have gone out in the community, approaching businesses, approaching area residents, seeking their involvement, their permission to maybe use their property and so forth for the filming,” Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director Chuck Martin said.

According to Martin, Cape Girardeau provides all the requirements needed for the film, including its size and location on the Mississippi River. 

Image of Cape Girardeau via Google.

Image of Cape Girardeau via Google.

“I think that we have a wonderful mix of new, a wonderful mix of old,” Martin said. “I think the one thing that was expressed to me that they truly loved was the fact of being able to film on Main Street with some 19th century buildings and having this wonderful Bill Emerson Bridge in the background.”

Cape Girardeau Mayor Harry Rediger believes that should the production choose to film in town, it will have a huge economic impact on Cape Girardeau which will last far into the future. In addition, more filming projects may follow suit making the city a vibrant destination for Hollywood.

“I think we will be able to portray through this movie and through all these artists that will be here that we are a city that has potential for the future in this industry,” Rediger said.

In 2006, Cape Girardeau was the film location for the thriller Killshot, starring Diane Lane, Mickey Rourke, Thomas Jane and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. That project brought close to $750,000 to the city through production spendings at hotels, restaurants, and other local businesses.

“I really feel that this, with the second movie that has the possibility of being here, that it puts us in a very good position for the future, too,” Rediger said. “We have potential in the movie industry, and in that industry for the future for not only Cape Girardeau, but our area and our region.”

 

Missouri Film Commission

In addition to Cape Girardeau, 20th Century Fox has also considered filming Gone Girl in St. Louis and Hannibal, both cities in Missouri.

For more information on filming in Missouri, visit the Missouri Film Commission (a Reel-Scout client).

Browse Missouri’s film locations.

Comment