Showtime mini-series “Rust” to film scenes in Donora
Some streets in Donora were closed this week for filming of the Showtime miniseries 鈥淩ust.鈥�
The streets of Donora will provide the backdrop for the fictional Fayette County town of Buell, a setting for the Showtime mini-series "Rust."
With cast and crew members of the Showtime miniseries 鈥淩ust鈥� filming scenes in Donora, 鈥渁 little bit of Hollywood will be in the (Mon) Valley,鈥� in the words of Jim McDonough, the borough鈥檚 mayor.
Work on 鈥淩ust鈥� happened earlier this week in Donora鈥檚 downtown.
The series is based on the 2009 novel 鈥淎merican Rust,鈥� by Philipp Meyer, which is set in the fictional Fayette County community of Buell. The book was Meyer鈥檚 debut novel.
The mini-series stars Maura Tierney, whose credits include the series 鈥淓R鈥� and Jeff Daniels, star of 鈥淭he Newsroom鈥� and 鈥淕odless.鈥�
Daniels, who will executive produce the show, is starring as Sheriff Del Harris, who 鈥渋s forced to decide how far he鈥檚 willing to go for the woman he loves, after her son is accused of an ex-cop鈥檚 murder.鈥�
In a Facebook post by the borough, the visit to Donora by the 鈥淩ust鈥� crew was characterized as 鈥渁n exciting opportunity,鈥� along with an acknowledgement that some residents would be temporarily inconvenienced.
A publicist for 鈥淩ust鈥� could not be reached for comment.
鈥淚 just think it鈥檚 a wonderful thing that they鈥檒l be coming into the borough,鈥� McDonough said.
The cast and crew of 鈥淩ust鈥� could well become a familiar sight around the region in the weeks and months ahead. According to the website Movie Extras Pittsburgh, work on 鈥淩ust鈥� will be happening in Pittsburgh and surrounding communities from mid-March to mid-August.
Work had been due to start in the region this time last year, but production was stopped when the coronavirus pandemic arrived.
According to the Movie Extras site, the type of extras the production has been seeking include people who can play, among other things, cops, restaurant patrons, high school and college football players, bar patrons and wedding guests.
It鈥檚 the second time 鈥淎merican Rust鈥� was set to be adapted for television, according to Variety.
In 2017, USA Network gave a straight-to-series order for an adaptation. That series was scrapped because producers were unable to find an actor for the lead role, Variety reported.