ProductionNinja.com

They just starting filming, but the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still already has two strikes against it. First they cast Keanu Reaves as Klaatu and now comes news that the movie won’t be in DC:

Twentieth Century Fox has begun filming its remake of the 1951 classic “The Day the Earth Stood Still.”

Keanu Reeves, who plays (what else?) a humanoid alien, stars along with Jennifer Connelly and Kathy Bates in the sci-fi tale of visitors from outer space who encourage the human race to shape up.

So given that the original contains one of Washington’s iconic celluloid scenes — a flying saucer settling down on the Ellipse — we’ll surely be seeing Keanu & Co. here in D.C., right?

Wrong. Sources with knowledge of the production say that while some exteriors will be shot here, most filming will take place in Canada, because the city didn’t have the right ‘look’ for this version.

You would think that Keanu alone would be enough to doom the flick, but their other casting choices have been pretty solid. Jennifer Connelly will play Helen, and Kathy Bates will be taking the role previously played by Aunt Bee. I also noticed that Aaron Douglas has been cast as well… maybe he’ll play Gort, since he does after all have experience playing a Cylon.