The 'Scream' star and his wife Christina McLarty are considering to keep the cast and crew away from the public on a former cotton factory that has been converted into a working set.
- May 1, 2020
AceShowbiz - David Arquette and his wife are making plans to start production on their latest film in Arkansas, despite the fact most of America is still on lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The movie star and Christina McLarty Arquette want to get going on their period thriller "Ghosts of the Ozarks" at some point in May, and they are mulling over ideas to keep the cast, featuring Tim Blake Nelson, and crew safe while filming.
The Arquettes tell Deadline the plan is to test everyone before filming begins and then keep the cast and crew away from members of the public on a former cotton factory in Trumann, Arkansas, which has already been converted into a working set, production center and trailer park.
"It's such a vast amount of space, we can build it so everyone can social distance," McLarty Arquette tells the outlet.
David adds, "We have everything in line; we have the ability to be able to still produce things with a reasonable expectation of social distancing, take everybody's temperature and we have flexibility with quarantining people before they get there."
The couple has been buoyed by the fact Arkansas is one of the states least hit by the coronavirus, with just over 3,000 cases and 57 deaths, and the state Governor, Asa Hutchinson, is expected to announce plans to allow some businesses to re-open following March's shutdown.
"Obviously, we're monitoring the daily situation and following all of the local, state and national mandates," McLarty Arquette states. "We want to remain optimistic but respectful of what's going on in the world. We're playing it day-by-day. We're having lots of conversations about how we adapt to this new world that we live in as filmmakers."
"It's not a large production and a lot of people are local that we hire, which helps. Things change every day but we're all just trying to be hopeful, and at the same time, respectful."
The former news anchor, who was born in Hope, Arkansas, adds, "The best thing about shooting in Arkansas is that it's new to the state. The film commissioner is great and the Governor is very supportive... It's a beautiful state and a really supportive community."
