Action movie to be filmed in downtown St. Charles in March

St. Charles will take center stage when a film crew comes to the city's downtown in March to film an action movie.

Much of the filming will take place in the historic Hotel Baker, which was built in 1928 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

"We're probably going to be featured in probably about 15 minutes of the movie," St. Charles Police Chief James Keegan told aldermen during Tuesday's city council meeting. "So we're pretty excited about it."

Filming will take place over about 10 days, starting in early March. The majority of the filming will occur at night, he said. It should wrap up soon after the St. Patrick's Parade on March 12.

Several streets will be closed temporarily to accommodate the production, including routes 64 and 31.

"A lot of those closures are going to take place after hours," Keegan said. "Some of the filming will be done after midnight. I think there is going to be limited disruption. A lot of the filming is going to take place in the Hotel Baker and in the back garden. There are also going to be some street scenes."

At the meeting, aldermen unanimously approved licensing agreements with Airboat Productions, LLC. for use of the former St. Charles police station along the Fox River. It also can use the west side parking deck at First and Illinois streets during the upcoming filming schedule.

The former police station will serve as the hub for the production, and the production crew will use the fifth floor of the parking deck.

Second Ward Alderman Rita Payleitner wondered how many people will be involved in the production.

"There could be upward of about 150 people as part of the entire production," Keegan said. "As far as how many are actors and actresses, I don't know, but it is going to be a large-scale production."