Hollywood star Owen Wilson escapes big fire on 'The Coup' film set in Lampang

[gemini81]

Red shirts

Yeah, a documentary.

[waders123]

How about a scene of an expat trying for hours to catch a taxi from Surasak to Saphan mai on the eve of the Army's crackdown on the Redbels. We can see his desperation in his sweat and fear in a sweltering concrete tropical jungle that is ruled by armed mobs. He struggles in vain and begs taxi after taxi (who are sympathetic to the rebels)but he is refused time and time again. At last a taxi agrees to take him to Victory Momuent (for an outrageous sum of money) where he thinks he can catch another taxi home. At Victory Monument he stops for a beer... and before the bottle is finished the staff are hurriedly closing the bar. He drinks up... and goes to the taxi queue... There,everyone is desperate and are jumping the queue in front of him... The citizens are frantic... At last it's his turn for a taxi... It pulls up and an elderly lady begins to exit... at that moment people run to get in the cab, but the elderly lady stops them and hold the door. He gets in and gives the driver instructions to take the tollway. As the cab moves slowly along its way to Din Daeng he hears shots fired. He looks up and sees troops firing down from the flyover into the streets...The bullets are flying from both sides. Bodies are being loaded into ambulances. He's just one thought amid the chaos... Will I get home? There ya go Owen... Reality.

Why on God's green earth would you ever stop for a pint in the middle of an obvious coup!?!?! I guess the first two words before the date you posted your tale gives the reasoning behind the skewed priorities.

[TimTang]

"It is thriller movie centering on an American family who moves to Southeast Asia and finds themselves entangled in a violent coup with merciless rebels attacking the city."

Been there, done that... got the T-shirt more than once...

I hear ya man...I was in Thailand for three coups; there would have been more but the traffic was so bad that they couldn't get the tanks to the parliament buildings.

[TimTang]

With his big hooter he probably got a whiff of the smell

quite quickly and got everyone out of there sharpish.

Hey that's not even nice! His nose is part of his charm; he would never have been as successful if he had a perfect nose. People LIKE imperfections.

Edited November 22, 2013 by TimTang

[TimTang]

How about a scene of an expat trying for hours to catch a taxi from Surasak to Saphan mai on the eve of the Army's crackdown on the Redbels. We can see his desperation in his sweat and fear in a sweltering concrete tropical jungle that is ruled by armed mobs. He struggles in vain and begs taxi after taxi (who are sympathetic to the rebels)but he is refused time and time again. At last a taxi agrees to take him to Victory Momuent (for an outrageous sum of money) where he thinks he can catch another taxi home. At Victory Monument he stops for a beer... and before the bottle is finished the staff are hurriedly closing the bar. He drinks up... and goes to the taxi queue... There,everyone is desperate and are jumping the queue in front of him... The citizens are frantic... At last it's his turn for a taxi... It pulls up and an elderly lady begins to exit... at that moment people run to get in the cab, but the elderly lady stops them and hold the door. He gets in and gives the driver instructions to take the tollway. As the cab moves slowly along its way to Din Daeng he hears shots fired. He looks up and sees troops firing down from the flyover into the streets...The bullets are flying from both sides. Bodies are being loaded into ambulances. He's just one thought amid the chaos... Will I get home? There ya go Owen... Reality.

Owen usually does comedies so I'm not sure if your screen play will clinch you a position in Hollywood. But keep up the good work; I admire you for giving it a shot.

[TimTang]

Owen Wilson, Pierce Brosnan safe after fire on 'The Coup' set

By Coconuts Bangkok

BANGKOK: -- Hollywood A-listers Owen Wilson and Pierce Brosnan were unharmed after a fire on the set of a film they are shooting in northern Thailand, a production company and police said Thursday.

Wilson, who starred in Midnight in Paris, and former James Bond Brosnan had just finished Wednesday's shoot for the action-thriller The Coup when the fire broke out in a three-storey shophouse being rented for the film in the town of Lampang.

"Neither Owen Wilson nor Pierce Brosnan or (co-star) Lake Bell were anywhere near the set when the fire broke out... it was after wrap so none of our actors were there," said Chris Lowenstein of production company Living Film, which is helping the shoot. [read more...]

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2013/11/21/owen-wilson-pierce-brosnan-safe-after-fire-coup-set

-- Coconuts Bangkok 2013-11-21

Pierce...or...007 was probably carrying bodies and stuffed animals out of the fire while Owen was watching and saying "trippy man...this is just like the time when...OH wait...I was REALLY high at the time so that probably didn't really happen."

Edited November 22, 2013 by TimTang

[TimTang]

Thank God. If 007 and the guy with the crooked nose has been hurt, I don't know what I would have done.

Owen is a unique individual and his nose is part and parcel of the package. Are you "NOSE-ist" or something. I would be disappointed if he ever had it surgically fixed. It's Owen...the nose is mandatory.

[TimTang]

Sounds like One Hot Movie!!

Okay, I'll shut up and go to bed.

I'm interested too! I like both Brosnan and Wilson and using Thailand as a background it could be and interesting movie. I'm surprised at how many people are highly critical of these two stars just because they're doing their job. They're actors, that's what they do. If you find them offensive just unplug your cable and never go to a movie again. I think they've both proved themselves to be good at what they do and their work has provided viewing pleasure for millions.

[TimTang]

Owen who?

Seriously, I had to google his name to see who he is.

He wasn't in any silent movies. Most of his work has been during the talkies period and in color; remember that?

[thaibeachlovers]

Owen Wilson, one of Hollywood's most annoying and irritating actors. I could believe someone tried to off him for his many awful films.

[thaibeachlovers]

Thank God. If 007 and the guy with the crooked nose has been hurt, I don't know what I would have done.

Owen is a unique individual and his nose is part and parcel of the package. Are you "NOSE-ist" or something. I would be disappointed if he ever had it surgically fixed. It's Owen...the nose is mandatory.

Probably someone "fixed" his nose with their fist because they had just watched one of his films and had an overwhelming desire to punch him in the face.

[Frank James]

I already expressed an opinion on Wilson's "acting talent" in another forum, so won't bother with that again. I wish the man no harm, and I'm glad cast, crew, and citizens of Lampang escaped without injury.

[bitterbatter]

big question:

Who will play Thaksin Shinawatra?

Yingluck?

[bitterbatter]

Thank God. If 007 and the guy with the crooked nose has been hurt, I don't know what I would have done.

Owen is a unique individual and his nose is part and parcel of the package. Are you "NOSE-ist" or something. I would be disappointed if he ever had it surgically fixed. It's Owen...the nose is mandatory.

Probably someone "fixed" his nose with their fist because they had just watched one of his films and had an overwhelming desire to punch him in the face.

His crooked nose has gotten more crooked since his abuse of cocaine started.

[bitterbatter]

Owen who?

Seriously, I had to google his name to see who he is.

He wasn't in any silent movies. Most of his work has been during the talkies period and in color; remember that?

Owen, friend of Jackie Chan is the brother of the currently more famous Luke Wilson.

Pierce Bronson shares an interest with Owen... love of smoking weed in Hawaii and surfing..

Edited November 25, 2013 by bitterbatter

[DP25]

Here is a short description of the film

In their new overseas home, an American family soon finds themselves caught in the middle of a coup, and they frantically look for a safe escape in an environment where foreigners are being immediately executed.

What in the world was Thailand thinking approving a film like this? A lot of people who see this will forever be turned off from visiting Thailand because they think this might happen to them. I really don't understand how they can be so careless with how their country is portrayed in films.

[thaibeachlovers]

Here is a short description of the film

In their new overseas home, an American family soon finds themselves caught in the middle of a coup, and they frantically look for a safe escape in an environment where foreigners are being immediately executed.

What in the world was Thailand thinking approving a film like this? A lot of people who see this will forever be turned off from visiting Thailand because they think this might happen to them. I really don't understand how they can be so careless with how their country is portrayed in films.

Will the country in the film be identified as being Thailand? A lot of Asian countries look like Thailand.

[NewlyMintedThai]

I believe it takes place in a fictional SEA country.

[DP25]

Here is a short description of the film

In their new overseas home, an American family soon finds themselves caught in the middle of a coup, and they frantically look for a safe escape in an environment where foreigners are being immediately executed.

What in the world was Thailand thinking approving a film like this? A lot of people who see this will forever be turned off from visiting Thailand because they think this might happen to them. I really don't understand how they can be so careless with how their country is portrayed in films.

Will the country in the film be identified as being Thailand? A lot of Asian countries look like Thailand.

Apparently not. But Thailand is the only country in SEA famous for coups, and no other Asian country has Thai writing. They may give it a fake name but the movie will scream Thailand and people will find out it was filmed here. It just seems like a bad idea to me, taking one of the things Thailand is famous for, military coups and political violence and instability, and then turning it in to some kind of horror movie where they start to slaughter foreigners. People will see Thai protests on TV and be reminded of that movie that looked just like Thailand where they started killing all the white people.

[NewlyMintedThai]

Who says Thai writing will be visible, or even that it takes place during the present day?

I think the proposition that a fictional film set in a fictional place will be bad for tourism is ridiculous...

[DP25]

The building that burned down had huge Thai language signs on it. They are filming at least some of it in a city, I imagine the film will be filled with Thai language signs if they are shooting any scenes outside. They are using Thai actors, I imagine any native speech will be in Thai too. I don't see why the film makers would even care about avoiding it.

The film is THE COUP and it is filmed in a country that is famous around the world for having a couple dozen of them and who is currently undergoing massive political chaos that may become violent at any moment, and even lead to yet another coup. People are going to be reminded of Thailand even if they don't intend them too, and some are going to wonder if the situation in the film could happen to them. I don't think it's smart, particularly for a country with a bad reputation, to intentionally portray yourself in a movie like this, even if it is some fictional Thai speaking country. Russians and Arabs are portrayed extremely negatively in fictional places and situations all the time and the portrayal bleeds over in to real life.

I don't think the film can help Thailand, and it will quite possibly hurt it, the tiny revenue they get from film production isn't worth it the risk.

[NewlyMintedThai]

Tell you what, let's check back in after the release of the movie and see if there is any resultant dip in tourism numbers.

Sent from my iPhone using ThaiVisa app

[sabaijai]

There is no Thai dialogue in The Coup script, and no Thai signage on any of the sets. The scenes of the building which caught fire that day were interiors..

Beyond Rangoon was filmed in Penang, yet didn't mislead people into thinking Penang was dangerous. The Ugly American, set in a fictional coup-plagued nation based on Thailand, was filmed in Thailand, and even featured Thai-language dialogue, and it didn't seem to harm tourism either. MR Kukrit Pramoj played the role of the fictional prime minister in the latter film, which was shot in 1963. He later became Thailand's actual PM in 1975. Ironically a military coup in 1976 unseated the Democrats.

[DP25]

There is no Thai dialogue in The Coup script, and no Thai signage on any of the sets. The scenes of the building which caught fire that day were interiors..

That's good to know, I'm glad.

The Ugly American came out in 1963, there wasn't mass tourism back then, the few who came wouldn't be affected by it. I don't think most tourists today have seen it, I didn't even know it was filmed here.

I hope you're correct and it won't affect anything and people don't connect it to Thailand. The portrayal of Thailand in movies really does have an influence on how people think in my experience though. Ever since the Hangover 2 came out I always get asked by people back home how I can live in a city of squalor that has constant electrical blackouts all day. They don't seem to believe me when I say it isn't really like that and it was just a movie.

[EyesWideOpen]

What a brilliant piece of timing !!! No need for sets and extras anymore. Just send the entire crew down to

Bangkok this week, and start the camera rolling when the coup starts. .....

As far as people associating this film with Thailand, that is pretty much a given, since one of the hubs

that actually fits Thailand is the hub of coups with 18 and counting.

Edited November 28, 2013 by EyesWideOpen

[NewlyMintedThai]

Personally, I prefer the occasional "intervention"/"correction" to having bums like Hun Sen, Mahathir, Marcos, Suharto, Chiang Kai-Shek, the Burmese generals, and the Vietnamese and Lao commies stay around for decades on end.

Sent from my iPhone using ThaiVisa app

[thaibeachlovers]

Who says Thai writing will be visible, or even that it takes place during the present day?

I think the proposition that a fictional film set in a fictional place will be bad for tourism is ridiculous...

If Thai tourism can survive the atrocious Nicholas Cage film, and The Hangover 2 ( The worst rip off sequel ever ), it can survive anything.

[sabaijai]

There is no Thai dialogue in The Coup script, and no Thai signage on any of the sets. The scenes of the building which caught fire that day were interiors..

That's good to know, I'm glad.

The Ugly American came out in 1963, there wasn't mass tourism back then, the few who came wouldn't be affected by it. I don't think most tourists today have seen it, I didn't even know it was filmed here.

I hope you're correct and it won't affect anything and people don't connect it to Thailand. The portrayal of Thailand in movies really does have an influence on how people think in my experience though. Ever since the Hangover 2 came out I always get asked by people back home how I can live in a city of squalor that has constant electrical blackouts all day. They don't seem to believe me when I say it isn't really like that and it was just a movie.

Actually 1963 could be regarded as the start of the tourism snowball in Thailand, as that year held the record for the largest single-year increase in tourism until 1987, the first 'Visit Thailand Year'. It had nothing to do with the film but rather R&R visits by American soldiers stationed in Vietnam.