"Blood" shooting in Gastonia

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Gastonia native Jeb Stuart, screenwriter of such blockbusters as "Die Hard" and the "Fugitive", films scenes of "Blood Done Sign My Name" in Gastonia this week.

Stuart started shooting an adaptation of Duke University Professor Tim Tyson's 2004 novel "Blood Done Signed My Name," May 5 in Shelby. His cast and crew will be filming in Gastonia for about a week, said Cecily Durrett, the film's North Carolina publicist.

Monday's shoot is scheduled to begin bright and early with exterior and interior shots at St. Stephen's AME Zion Church at Unity Place. Filming should then move to the streets of downtown Gastonia from about 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The downtown shot is of the two young actors playing Tyson and his brother running along a sidewalk, Durrett said.

"They'll do exterior shots on the sidewalk of young boys rushing off," Durrett said. "It's a pretty quick scene that won't involve huge crowds or a march."

Durrett said technical crews will be setting up Monday morning and at some point certain streets downtown may be closed to traffic. And residents shouldn't be too surprised if they see people, wearing clothes, sporting hairstyles or driving cars from the 1970s.

"Anybody that lived through that period may feel like they're experiencing dj vu," Durrett said.

Story from the Gastonia Gazette