Can The Avengers Make Cleveland Look Like Times Square?

The Dark Knight Rises isn’t the only 2012 summer blockbuster filming on the streets of an American city: Marvel Studios has staked out Cleveland, Ohio to shoot a climatic battle in The Avengers starting next week. Which would be great, if Cleveland wasn’t supposed to stand-in for Times Square. Yes, that Times Square. Production crews are currently busy making Cleveland’s East 9th street (between Euclid and Prospect avenues) look like the famous Manhattan thoroughfare of tourist gridlock, and judging from some Google Street View shots of both areas, it’ll be easier said than done. [Click for bigger] Good luck, VFX team! Filming on the Joss Whedon-directed film begins Aug. 15, and the production will continue throughout Cleveland until Labor Day weekend. “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,” said Patty Whitcher, an executive producer on The Avengers. Be careful what you wish for, Patty. Just ask Christopher Nolan. · ‘Avengers’ workers start transforming East Ninth into scene for epic battle [Cleveland.com via Coming Soon]