Avengers workers start transforming East Ninth into scene for epic battle

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Store by store, workers this week are transforming East Ninth Street into a stand-in for New York City’s famed 42nd Street as the stars of "The Avengers" movie finish filming at the NASA Plum Brook facility in Sandusky.

If you want to see the changes look fast because the street will be blown up in climactic battle scenes over the next four weeks.

The stars of the movie -- including Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man); Chris Hemsworth (Thor); Chris Evans (Captain America); Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) and Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) -- and the rest will be in Cleveland for filming Aug. 15 on East Ninth Street from Euclid to Prospect avenues.

Patty Whitcher, executive producer of the Marvel Studios/Disney film, said fans of comics and movies will get an eyeful in coming weeks.

"We have to keep people back a bit for safety reasons -- there will be explosions -- but they will be able to see the actors and their favorite Avengers on the street during the filming," she said in a press conference on Monday.

She said she was impressed with East Ninth Street when she was in Cleveland for the filming of "The Soloist" and remembered that it would be a perfect substitute for 42nd Street for "The Avengers" filming. She asked Ivan Schwarz, executive director of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission, to help out with the city and was surprised at how cooperative the city was in closing down a major street for more than a month.

"We understand this is an inconvenience for everyone and we appreciate it,” she said. “The businesses that are on this street will remain open throughout the filming. There will be six days of mayhem on this street with lots of explosions and car flipping. We could not do that in New York."

Latest tweets about 'The Avengers' filming in Cleveland (story continues below)

Then she smiled and said, "But don’t worry. When we’re done we’ll return the city just the way we found it."

There are few operating businesses in that area of East Ninth Street beyond the Medical Mutual headquarters building whose exterior is being transformed into mock New York storefronts. The buildings on the entire east side of the street are vacant and being similarly transformed. The long-vacant Cuyahoga County-owned Ameritrust building on the corner of East Ninth and Euclid Avenue is being used inside and out for scenes in the film.

She said more than 25 percent of the movie will be filmed in Ohio, including several sites in Cleveland.

Before it's over, the production will have rented more than 1,000 nights at five local hotels and will employ extras for 2,600 hours.

Schwarz noted that four movies are being filmed in the Cleveland area now, in various stages of completion.

"We’re fortunate they are filming in different places (like ‘Fun Size’ and ‘I, Alex Cross’ being filmed in Cleveland Heights) while ‘The Avengers’ are being filmed downtown. There will also be scenes shot in the viaduct (under the Detroit-Superior Bridge and on the bridge as well) and at the county courthouse. It’s an exciting time for anyone in Cleveland interested in the movie industry," he said.

"The Avengers" plot is still shrouded in secrecy, but judging from previews and other hints, it is about the heroes' attempts to stop Thor’s half-brother, Loki, from taking over the world using the reality-altering Cosmic Cube.

View full sizeLisa DeJong, The PDWorkers prepare East Ninth Street for filming of the Avengers movie.

There are unconfirmed reports that alien races, The Kree and the shape-shifting Skrulls, may be involved.

On Saturday, director Joss Whedon was on site for about four hours getting a feel for the block and how it will play into his movie.

The rest of the shooting schedule includes:

• Filming on East Ninth Street from Euclid to Prospect avenues, Aug. 15 to Aug. 24.
• Filming on Euclid Avenue from East Sixth Street to East 12th Street, Aug. 22, through Sept. 2.
• Filming on Walnut Avenue from East Ninth Street to East 12th Street, Aug. 17 to Aug. 30.
• Filming on South Roadway at Superior Avenue and Ontario Street, Aug. 29.
• Filming on the Detroit-Superior (Veterans Memorial) Bridge at intermittent times in August.
• Public Square in front of Tower City will be closed intermittently for filming.