THORTON — Actor Jamie Foxx and his colleagues finished their sentences in the old Broadmeadows prison Friday.
Shooting at the old jail for “Law Abiding Citizen†was expected to wrap up Friday, and movie crews were to move on to another Philadelphia area location.
The prison was swarming with movie crews filming and setting up Thursday. Crews were still cleaning up and constructing sets while ensuring the jail didn’t lose its worn-in look.
“Law Abiding Citizen†is the latest project for F. Gary Gray (“Be Cool,†“The Italian Jobâ€) who directs Gerard Butler (“300,†“RocknRolla,â€) and Academy Award-winner Foxx (“Ray,†“The Kingdomâ€) in a story of a man taking revenge on the penal system — one district attorney at a time.
Crews spent three weeks at the old jail, filming for about one week. Last month, the movie filmed at City Hall in Philadelphia.
All of the approximately 50 days of shooting will take place in the Philadelphia area.
Scenes were being filmed Thursday afternoon in Block C, an original cell block from the nearly 80-year-old jail, as a crowd watched from a monitor in the next room.
The old prison’s mess hall was converted into the movie’s police station, with lines of desks and a locker room nearby.
The room wasn’t part of the filming around noon Thursday, but studio workers made use of the set’s swivel chairs while talking on cell phones.
The jail has been used as a storage facility since prisoners were moved to the current prison in 1998.