The drama Out of the Furnace seems like a hot commodity right now. It sports a stellar cast that includes Christian Bale and Casey Affleck in the lead roles, and Zoe Saldana, Willem Dafoe and Woody Harrelson in the supporting cast, as well as backing from celebrity production companies like Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way and Ridely Scott’s Scott Free. The film is currently being shot in western PA, and on Sunday, executive producer Jeff Waxman, producer/production coordinator Julie Hartley, and various crew members spoke at a PA Film Industry Association meeting in Pittsburgh, giving some insight to the project. We were there and one can see details below.

In past reports, Furnace was said to have a “No Country For Old Men vibe” and during the talk, Waxman compared the production to The Fighter, but in production only. David O. Russell‘s drama also featured Bale in an Oscar-winning performance and used much of the same crew, as he expressed his gratitude for their hard work and efforts.

They also touched on the importance of the film’s setting; the screenplay was originally set in 1986 Indiana, but according to Waxman, director Scott Cooper chose to adapt it for modern day Braddock, PA (or as they refer to it in press material “the Rust Belt”) and transform the two brother characters – played by Bale and Affleck – into “third-generation steel workers.”

Apparently, Cooper fell in love with the area – which is located just outside of Pittsburgh – when he filmed Crazy Heart there, and from what Waxman described, they’re infusing a lot of the local color, including filming on location at local steel mills and hiring actual steel workers on as extras for certain scenes. As to the overall look and feel of the film, Cooper’s assistant Hank Bedford said:

It’s dirty. It’s rusty. It’s wonderful. It’s very textured, you know. It’s Pittsburgh.

With the details surrounding the Braddock shoot, it sounds like a rough, blue-collar kind of film. It’ll be interesting to see how they combine the realism with the more dramatic, thriller elements laid out in the synopsis. See below:

Synopsis:

 The film is a drama about fate, circumstance, and redemption. Russell and his younger brother live in the economically depressed Rust Belt, and have always dreamed of escaping and finding better lives. But when a cruel twist of fate lands Russell in prison, his brother is lured into one of the most violent and ruthless crime rings in the Northeast – a mistake that will almost cost him everything. Once released, Russell must choose between his own freedom, or risk it all to seek justice for his brother.

Out of the Furnace will shoot for two more weeks in PA and then move onto New York. According to the producers, the release date is set for fall 2013.

Are you anticipating the next film from Cooper?

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