BY ASHA MAHADEVAN
The Sun City Bank came into existence in Astoria on Monday morning and then was robbed a few minutes later. If you missed all the action, don’t fret. Cameras across the street caught it all and you can watch it on “The Blacklist,” the hit NBC fictional crime show.
As season 2 of “The Blacklist” is set to premiere on Sept. 22, the cast and crew were hard at work in Astoria filming a bank robbery scene for the season’s fourth episode.
The series, which started last year, follows Raymond ‘Red’ Reddington (James Spader), one of the FBI’s most wanted fugitives, who helps the Bureau nab criminals they didn’t know existed. His partner in this adventure is Agent Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone). Season 1 ended with this partnership breaking up and the task force on the verge of dissolution with its head Harold Cooper (Harry Lennix) on life support in a hospital.
On Sept. 15, Sun City Bank was the temporary name given to the First Central Savings Bank on 30th Avenue and 35th Street. The crew filled up the sidewalks across the bank with their cameras and recording equipment. Pedestrians were rerouted away as extras were urged to walk past the bank within camera range.
According to fliers posted by Woodbridge Productions Inc., the company producing the show, filming at this location is expected to continue until 9 p.m. The fliers also said the scene is expected to involve bulb flashes, bloodied actors, actors in police uniform and intermittent traffic control.
Interior scenes for the series were also being filmed on 36th Street between 30th and 31st avenues.
The actors shooting at the Astoria location, however, did not star in the first season, according to sources on the set. The second season has 22 episodes and filming will go on until May.
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