Local filmmaker Nicholas Smith (right) and actor Bruce Davison (left) talk on the set of “Munger Road” in 2010 while filming in St. Charles.
Courtesy of Nicholas Smith
A local filmmaker is one step closer to continuing the Munger Road story.
The St. Charles City Council this week approved a request from local restaurant owner Nick Smith — the writer and director of 2011′s “Munger Road” — to close Main Street in October for the filming of the movie’s sequel “Munger Road Part 2.″
Smith petitioned the city on behalf of his production company — MR25, LLC — to close Route 64 the evening of Oct. 16 into the morning of Oct. 17 while he films the sequel to his inaugural film.
Because Route 64 is a state highway, Smith also needs approval from the Illinois Department of Transportation for the closure.
Monday’s vote is the first of many Smith will need from the city council before the film can begin production. However, the road closure vote was needed immediately because of IDOT’s application requirements.
If IDOT approves the closure, Route 64 will be closed between Second Street (Route 31) to Fifth Avenue (Route 25) from 4 p.m. Oct. 16 to 5 a.m. Oct. 17.
The request includes a rain date of Oct. 17 with the same time frame.
During the closure, westbound traffic on Main Street would be redirected south on Fifth Avenue (Route 25), west on Illinois Avenue, and north on Second Street (Route 31) back to Route 64. Eastbound traffic would take the same route in reverse.
The production company would reimburse the city for all costs associated with the closure, estimated at nearly $40,000. That includes police department costs for security and traffic control.
When Smith announced “Munger Road Part 2,” he promised a grittier, scarier, action-packed film that would tie up loose ends left by the original. Set in St. Charles 15 years after the original, it is expected to feature new and returning characters.
Released in 2011, “Munger Road” was based on well-known local folklore surrounding the train tracks on Munger Road in the town of Wayne. The film was shot on the actual road and at locations in St. Charles and surrounding cities in Kane County, including Bartlett, Elburn, Geneva and Sugar Grove.