Shooting of Steven Spielberg's untitled movie continued yesterday in Rabat's St Paul's Square, which took on the role of Piazza Cavur, while the capital city is also gearing up to act as the backdrop to the world-renowned director's latest movie in the making.
The square took on an Italian guise, with street signs and monuments in Italian, while filming also took place in a building that was transformed into the Grotta Tavola Calda.
The director, known also for his efficiency, was said to have also shot in another part of the island yesterday.
Valletta mayor Paul Borg Olivier said the capital city was getting ready for around 10 days of filming outdoors, as well as for internal shots in private properties, both by day and by night.
The Valletta local council has been working on the complex logistics for the upcoming shooting over a few months now, but contacts with the production company started more than a year ago as the film was initially intended to be shot then.
Valletta has hosted other films - including The Count of Monte Cristo, shot in Malta in 2000 and A Different Loyalty, starring Sharon Stone, shot in 2003 - but the logistics of the Spielberg movie, in terms of preparation and equipment used, among other factors, are quite extensive, Dr Borg Olivier said.
Compared to other movies shot in Valletta, the production is involving a wider spectrum of stakeholders, including the government, police, local council, transport authority and residents, who have received letters regarding shooting in certain sites.
A number of locations in Valletta, including St Paul's Street, have been identified and certain open spaces are doubling as Spain and Italy, the mayor said.
Dr Borg Olivier said the council looked at the project positively in that it was placing Valletta on the map as a movie set in line with the commitment of the Malta Film Commission.
"Our offices have been involved in coordination with the local team and the MFC, which have worked excellently with us," he said. The extent of the project at the peak of summer, with feasts and other activities, meant shifting around events to avoid any clashes.
"Unfortunately, because of the extent of the film, there were people who tried to make a quick buck from the production, which may not always be positive for Malta. They are missing the wood for the trees," he said.
Dr Borg Olivier considered this attitude to be short-sighted in that it could detract other movies from coming to Malta to film. It should always be remembered that despite the extent of the movie, it is always operating within a budget, he pointed out.
All local stakeholders should work collectively to make Malta more competitive as a film destination, the mayor advised.
"The Valletta local council has played its own part to make sure the capital remains one of the locations for the film because we see the added value the city can gain from being chosen as a location on such a movie.
"It is interesting, to say the least, to have a director of such fame on our streets, choosing angles, squares and hidden corners of the city."
The movie, starring Eric Bana (Troy, Hulk), Daniel Craig (Layer Cake), and Ciarán Hinds (Calendar Girls), is about the hunt for the Palestinian terrorists who murdered 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. It is intended to be released in December, according to Reuters.