John Travolta Film Suspended After Violent Outbreak

PARIS — A John Travolta movie has suspended plans to film in one of the Paris area's toughest housing projects after 10 cars to be used in the movie were burned, the production company and local officials said Tuesday.

Filming of the action movie "From Paris With Love" has been in progress for around two weeks. The filming set in the project known as Les Bosquets was scheduled to start this week. Around 90 residents were cast in roles as extras.

Cars are regularly burned in French housing projects, most famously during rioting that raged for three weeks in 2005 in poor neighborhoods across the country.

It was not immediately known who was responsible for setting alight the eight cars parked at a local stadium and two nearby early Monday, said Timm Rigal, aide to Mayor Xavier Lemoine of Montfermeil, where the housing project is located.

The Europacorp production company refused to confirm the mayor's claim that the project scenes were being definitively canceled.

A production official said Europacorp chief Luc Besson, the French director, writer and producer, was reviewing the situation. The official was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter and asked not to be named.

The filming of the English-language movie, directed by Pierre Morel and also starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, continues with indoor scenes programmed this week, according to the production official.

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Associated Press writer Elaine Ganley contributed to this story.

Comments

[CheGuevara]

You know, if Travolta had just used his OT powers, none of this would ever have happened. As everyone knows, full OT's like Travolta have full control over MEST -- Matter, Energy, Space and Time. Elron said so...so it must be true.


























...or it could have all just been a pile of horse manure designed to seperate rich suckers from their money...

[Swerinjer2]

France is a hotbed for unrest. They control their government, as opposed to the US where a few teenagers dress up in black, overturn a dumpster, and everyone ****'s in their pants.

[Swerinjer2]

The headline is technically correct, but then you read the story.

[harriettubman]

France has got to get control of this racial and ethnic issue. For too long the Islamic community has been fighting back. Why? They wanted girls to wear veils in school. France said no then yes. Sometimes you can't move to a country and demand cultural tradition rights. I want to hear more about this issue.

[MagisterLudi]

At one time France was the leading nation of the world. And French was a lingua franca. You were somebody only when you went to Paris. 1/5 of" War and Peace" was written in French.
Since WW2 the centers of creative culture shifted to London, New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo.
Yes, it is a bitter pills to swallow.
But we must respect the culture that gave us Descartes, Molière, Balzac, Sartre, Debussy and Serge Gainsbourg (oops).

Je mange, donc je suis.

[MagisterLudi]

High French culture--- Louis de Funès adored by millions of French eh....intellectuals(?)... OK every culture has a few skeletons.... "Fantômas contre Scotland Yard" ha-ha-ha.

[HelloooCanada]

misunderstanding.

burning cars is the traditional french welcoming.

they'll appreciate the gentleness of that when they go to england to film those scenes and get the traditional "beer bottle and combat boot to the head" greeting.

[kathy001]

LOL!!!!

[harriettubman]

I'm glad you explained it because I was thinking WTH?!!!

[MagisterLudi]

The production of these scenes should be immediately moved. In German press ( less PC than American) there was also talk about some locals demanding protection money. Besson was trying to be helpful. Apparently, some in this ' sans turbans' hood didn't appreciate the gesture. And yes, the actions of the few will result in loss of income for many. C'est la guerre.

[Kevbo68]

Pesky Thetans.

[moderatemom]

And a large part of the economic difficulties they are suffering started here, with the dirivites and the subprime fiasco; it was a subsidary of AIG in Europe that opened up that can of worms there......And even with their problems, they have everyone covered for health care, and college-hell, they even send in help to mothers after babies are born. We think we are so 'strong for families' but we don't have nearly the help for families that they do. They farm almost intirely organically. And there wine is great. All the nuclear facilities are alike, so they can be repaired quickly because the parts are universal, unlike ours. There's a lot to like. That doesn't mean I don't love my country. But this French bashing is rediculous. As an American, I have never been mistreated by anyone in France on my 4 visits there. I don't speak French well at all, and I make a point of appologizing for it- I am a visitor after all, and they are most gracious about it, and tell me they will just practice their English while I practice my French, and laugh. How many Americans get mad that Mexicans do speak English well, after all. Do they like Bush? No, but then most of the world doesn't either.

[moderatemom]

In reading the comments, I have to wonder how many commentators have ever been to france, have traveled through it and visited with the French people...........Also, I have to wonder if this incidence of violence is any different that something that could happen here....there was a housing project know as Grenta Green that was so bad, the police hated going in to it. Thankfully, the powers that be woke up and realized people should never have to live in boxes built on top of each other with no air, few windows, narrow stairwells without proper lighting, bad water and heat and replaced it with structures that were liveable...I can see that hapening in the old Gretna Green Projects. The French people, are by and large, a cultured people, much more aware of what is happening in the world that we Americans are. They helped us gain our liberty from the English, they've been our allie in two world worlds, where their villages and towns were torn apart......they were smart enough not to back our going into Iraq because they knew the culture there.

[MagisterLudi]

We're talking about a mistake made by a French director who trying to help out the disadvantaged ( i.e. Islamic immigrant) neighborhood. And how it all went wrong. Let's not bring the entire history into it, shall we. Maybe you'd also bring Jeanne d' Arc into it?

[Zubeck]

Une voiture de brûlure à la Française est comme un cheeseburger aux Américains. Il est une chose culturelle.

[avraamjack]

Les Américains ont la culture?

[schatsie]

non

[beenn15]

you had to be french... I find it puzzling that most europeans think that americans don't have a culture. Can someone describe to me what the "french culture" is.

I would bet that that "french culture", whatever it is, is being challenged or influenced by the inexistent "american culture."

[sometimeshere]

Smug much?
Still sore about Lance?

[robotfog]

If that was Jerry Lewis filming a movie, the arson never would have happened. Whatever happened to our ability to produce entertainers that the French could respect? *sigh*

[Agentlady007]

I think that answer might be hidden in the French Statue of Liberty.

(Let me know when you find out you are right.)

[KarateKid]

They did not really respect Jerry Lewis. The laughed at his characterizations because they really don't like Americans and it was their way of scorning Americans.

[TrueJustice]

They like black Americans. :-)

[gevan]

Certain Thatans cause harm to others. Whatchagonna do?

[Agentlady007]

Pray for reincarnation.

[Clare53]

Nuh uh, those body thetans will follow you everywhere.

[treehousehero]

Xenu burned the cars.

[Clare53]

He probably used glycol.

[whit4brains]

LOL!