Reel Steel NewsBeyond the Cinerama Dome is a Pittsburgh-based publication and Pittsburgh, if you didn’t know, is the Hollywood of Appalachia.*
*This is a nickname I have given to the city, but I’m expecting it will catch on soon.
Row House Preps for Expanded Dormont Opening
Row House Cinema announces partnership with Needs More Fog as they continue to remodel the Hollywood Theater in Dormont.
The Row House in Lawrenceville is one of the beloved haunts for Pittsburgh cinephiles. Back in 2023, Row House Cinema announced that they had acquired the Hollywood theater in Dormont and began the arduous refurbishment process. The theater was originally constructed in the 1920s and the group wanted to ensure that they retained much of that old glory as they could.
Row House Cinema has just announced that they are not tackling this massive project alone anymore. They have tapped the legendary design team, Needs More Fog, to create an art house theater like no other in Pittsburgh. Needs More Fog is most known in the area for their Scarehouse haunted house, but their reach goes far beyond the city. The designers have worked on escape rooms and amusement park rides with Kennywood and Universal Studios as some of their clients.
Photo courtesy of Dormont Borough
Now, armed with the might of Needs More Fog, the sky is the limit for Row House Cinema’s new home. The Hollywood theater will have two screens, one with 400 seats, the other with 46. They will be installing 70mm, 35mm, and 4th gen laser 4k projection. For cinephiles, this news is massive. When directors, mainly Christopher Nolan, shoot on 70mm, there is no theater in the area with equipment to play it. Audiences will be able to watch films as they were meant to be seen in a Metropolis themed atmospheric auditorium.
Beyond film, the Hollywood will also be home to The Repertory Room, the theater’s underground bar. If that’s not your thing, you can also browse their movie-themed bookstore or spend some time at the pinball and Japanese-style arcades. Last, but certainly not least, if crowds aren’t your thing, the theater will also have two private rooms for private karaoke, gaming, or movies.
An exact date for the Row House Hollywood’s grand re-opening has not been announced yet, but stay tuned as more details emerge!
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“The Pitt” Clocks in with 13 Emmy Nominations
The Burbank-shot, but Pittsburgh-based show picked up a staggering thirteen nominations in a variety of categories. From Outstanding Drama to more than a few acting nominations, The Pitt will likely take home a few statues when the time comes.
Pittsburgh is heading to the Emmys! Or, at least, The Pitt is heading to the television award show on September 14, 2025. The Burbank-shot, but Pittsburgh-based show picked up a staggering thirteen nominations in a variety of categories. From Outstanding Drama to more than a few acting nominations, The Pitt will likely take home a few statues when the time comes. Scroll down to see all of The Pitt’s nominations:
Best Actor in a Drama Series
Sterling K. Brown, Paradise
Gary Oldman, Slow Horses
Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us
Adam Scott, Severance
Noah Wyle, The Pitt
Best Drama Series
Andor
The Diplomat
The Last of Us
Paradise
The Pitt
Severance
Slow Horses
The White Lotus
Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Giancarlo Esposito, The Boys
Scott Glenn, The White Lotus
Shawn Hatosy, The Pitt
Joe Pantoliano, The Last of Us
Forest Whitaker, Andor
Jeffrey Wright, The Last of Us
Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Patricia Arquette, Severance
Carrie Coon, The White Lotus
Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt
Julianne Nicholson, Paradise
Parker Posey, The White Lotus
Natasha Rothwell, The White Lotus
Aimee Lou Wood, The White Lotus
Best Directing for a Drama Series
Janus Metz, Andor
Amanda Marsalis, The Pitt
John Wells, The Pitt
Jessica Lee Gagné, Severance
Ben Stiller, Severance
Adam Randall, Slow Horses
Mike White, The White Lotus
Best Writing for a Drama Series
Dan Gilroy, Andor
Joe Sachs, The Pitt
R. Scott Gemmill, The Pitt
Dan Erickson, Severance
Will Smith, Slow Horses
Mike White, The White Lotus
Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour)
Andor: David Acord - Co-Supervising Sound Editor/Sound Designer, Margit Pfeiffer - Co-Supervising Sound Editor, James Spencer - Dialogue Editor, Josh Gold - Sound Effects Editor, Alyssa Nevarez - Foley Editor, John Finklea - Music Editor, Ronni Brown - Foley Artist, Sean England - Foley Artist
The Last of Us: Michael J. Benavente - Supervising Sound Editor, Chris Terhune - Sound Designer, Joe Schiff - Dialogue Editor, Christopher Battaglia (MPSE) - Supervising Sound Effects Editor, Mitchell Lestner - Sound Effects Editor, Jacob Flack (MPSE) - Sound Effects Editor, Odin Benitez - Sound Effects Editor, James Miller - Sound Effects Editor, Randy Wilson - Supervising Foley Editor, Justin Helle - Foley Editor, Ron Mellegers - Foley Editor, Maarten Hofmeijer - Music Editor, Stefan Fraticelli - Foley Artist, Brandon Bak - Foley Artist, Jason Charbonneau - Foley Artist
The Pitt: Bryan Parker - Supervising Sound Editor, Kristen Hirlinger - Dialogue Editor, Vince Tennant - ADR Editor, Josh Adeniji - Sound Effects Editor, Roland Thai - Sound Effects Editor, Sam Lewis - Supervising Foley Editor, Lyndsey Schenk - Foley Editor, Nicholas Kmet - Music Editor, Adam DeCoster - Foley Artist, Alex Ullrich - Foley Artist
Severance: Jacob Ribicoff (MPSE) - Supervising Sound Editor/Sound Designer, Gregg Swiatlowski - Dialogue Editor/ADR Editor, Eric Strausser - Foley Editor, Sam Zeines - Music Editor, Felipe Pacheco - Music Editor, Marko Costanzo - Foley Artist, Alex Wang - Foley Artist
courtesy of HBO
Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup
House of the Dragon: Waldo Mason - Prosthetic Designer, Claire Cameron - Makeup Supervisor, Heather McMullen - Prosthetic Makeup Artist, Emma Faulkes - Prosthetic Makeup Artist, Hannah Eccleston - Prosthetic Makeup Artist
The Last of Us: Paul Spateri - Department Head Makeup Artist, Barrie Gower - Prosthetic Designer, Lucy Pittard - Key Prosthetic Makeup Artist, Johnny Murphy - Key Prosthetic Makeup Artist, Colum Mangan - Key Prosthetic Makeup Artist, Gillian Jarvis - Key Prosthetic Makeup Artist, Sarah Pickersgill - Key Prosthetic Makeup Artist, Chris Devitt - Key Prosthetic Makeup Artist
The Penguin: Mike Marino - Prosthetic Designer, Michael Fontaine - Special Makeup Effects Artist, Crystal Jurado - Special Makeup Effects Artist, Diana Choi - Special Makeup Effects Artist, Claire Flewin - Special Makeup Effects Artist, Jerry Constantine - Special Makeup Effects Artist, Yoichi Art Sakamoto - Special Makeup Effects Artist, Bobby Diehl - Special Makeup Effects Artist
The Pitt: Myriam Arougheti - Department Head Makeup Artist, Thom Floutz - Special Makeup Effects Artist, Chris Burgoyne - Special Makeup Effects Artist, Martina Sykes - Special Makeup Effects Artist
Saturday Night Live: Louie Zakarian - Department Head Makeup Artist, Jason Milani - Key Makeup Artist, Amy Tagliamonti - Key Makeup Artist, Stephen Kelley - Makeup Artist, Brandon Grether - Makeup Artist, Tom Denier Jr. - Makeup Artist, Craig Lindberg - Makeup Artist
courtesy of HBO
Outstanding Contemporary Makeup (Non-Prosthetic)
Grotesquerie: Kate Biscoe - Department Head Makeup Artist, Tierra Richards - Assistant Department Head Makeup Artist, Victor Del Castillo - Makeup Artist, Naima Jamal - Personal Makeup Artist
The Last of Us: Rebecca Lee - Department Head Makeup Artist, Krystal Devlin - Key Makeup Artist, Amber Trudeau - Key Makeup Artist, Leslie Graham - Key Makeup Artist, Jessica Wong - 1st Makeup, Chelsea Matthews - 1st Makeup
Only Murders in the Building: Arielle Toelke - Department Head Makeup Artist, Kim Taylor - Key Makeup Artist, Joelle Troisi - Makeup Artist, Ana Sorys - Makeup Artist
The Penguin: Martha Melendez - Department Head Makeup Artist, Kim Collea - Key Makeup Artist, Maria Maio - Makeup Artist
The Pitt: Merry Lee Traum - Key Makeup Artist, Marie-Flore 'Ri' Beaubien - Makeup Artist, Leesa Simone - Makeup Artist
The White Lotus: Rebecca Hickey - Department Head Makeup Artist, Michelle Kearns - Key Makeup Artist, Wattana 'Geng' Garum - Key Makeup Artist, Vicky Nugent - Makeup Artist, Jeerasak 'Jojo' Srinuan - Makeup Artist, Jibbie Avarin Phanvichian - Personal Makeup Artist
courtesy of HBO
Outstanding Casting For A Drama Series
The Last of Us: Mary Vernieu, Lindsay Graham Ahanonu (CSA), Sydney Shircliff (CSA), Corinne Clark (CSA) - Location Casting, Jennifer Page (CSA) - Location Casting
The Pitt: Cathy Sandrich Gelfond (CSA),Erica Berger
Severance: Rachel Tenner (CSA), Bess Fifer (CSA) - Location Casting
Slow Horses: Nina Gold, Melissa Gethin Clarke
The White Lotus: Meredith Tucker, Non Jungmeier - Location Casting
Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour)
Andor: David Acord - Re-Recording Mixer, Danny Hambrook - Production Mixer, Geoff Foster - Scoring Mixer, Richard Duarte - Foley Mixer
The Last of Us: Marc Fishman (CAS) - Re-Recording Mixer, Samuel Ejnes (CAS) - Re-Recording Mixer, Chris Duesterdiek (CAS) - Production Mixer, Jeffrey Roy - ADR Mixer, Tami Treadwell - ADR Mixer
The Pitt: Todd M. Grace (CAS) - Re-Recording Mixer, Ed C. Carr III (CAS) - Re-Recording Mixer, Von Varga - Production Mixer, Tami Treadwell - ADR Mixer
Severance: Bob Chefalas - Re-Recording Mixer, Jacob Ribicoff - Re-Recording Mixer, David Schwartz - Production Mixer, George Lara - Foley Mixer
The White Lotus: Christian Minkler - Re-Recording Mixer, Ryan Collins - Re-Recording Mixer Bea O'Sullivan - Production Mixer, Jamison Rabbe - ADR Mixer, Michael Head - Foley Mixer
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New Apple TV+ Series Will Call Pittsburgh Home Until September
It’s not just big-screen productions that are calling Pittsburgh home for the summer, it’s also small-screen works that are using Western Pennsylvania tax credits to their advantage.
It’s not just big-screen productions that are calling Pittsburgh home for the summer, it’s also small-screen works that are using Western Pennsylvania tax credits to their advantage. One of Apple TV+’s upcoming series is now shooting in the Pittsburgh area.
This new series will be 10 episodes and is based on the internationally best-selling crime series Killer Instinct by Lars Kepler. The books have been translated into forty languages and sold more than fifteen million copies worldwide. Kepler is a pseudonym for the Swedish writing duo Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril. The first book in the series follows detective Joona Linna, who enlists the help of a hypnotist to solve a triple murder.
While it’s unclear if the series will follow the plot of the first novel, it has been announced that Tony Award winner and Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominee Liev Schreiber will star as Jonah Lynn (likely an Americanized version of the original Swedish name). Jonah is an ex-soldier-turned-homicide-detective who has moved to Western Pennsylvania to escape the rough streets of Philadelphia. However, Western PA proves to be a different monster, as Jonah’s town and his family are in the crosshairs of a serial killer (Stephen Graham of Adolescence). Jonah enlists his adopted daughter, FBI Agent Saga Bauer (Zazie Beetz of Deadpool), to track down the serial killer.
courtesy of Apple TV+
It’s not the first time Pittsburgh has had a fictional serial killer in its midst. One of the most famous Western PA-shot films is Silence of the Lambs, which featured Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter. The house featured in Silence of the Lambs is located in Perryopolis, Pennsylvania, and most of the film was shot in Pittsburgh.
This project is predicted to bring 3,500 new jobs to the area and generate $108 million for Pennsylvania’s economy. There are also background and extra opportunities for the series. The casting department is looking for people of all ages to play a variety of roles in the series. Shooting is scheduled from mid-July to mid-December, and those interested are encouraged to submit a headshot.
“We’re incredibly grateful to the Pennsylvania Film Office and the Shapiro Administration for their support of this project,” said Barry Jossen, President and Head of A+E Studios. “The production tax credit is not only instrumental in bringing our series to life, but also in generating meaningful economic opportunity throughout western Pennsylvania. We look forward to working with the talented local crews and showcasing the region’s dynamic landscapes and communities on-screen.”
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“How to Rob a Bank” Takes Pittsburgh by Storm
It’s shaping up to be a busy filmmaking summer in our little town. Hershey has already wrapped and another film production is moving in.
It’s shaping up to be a busy filmmaking summer in our little town. Hershey has already wrapped and another film production is moving in.
How to Rob a Bank is an Amazon MGM Studios production that will make Pittsburgh its home from June through September of 2025. Directed by David Leitch, the plot of the film is largely under wraps. The limited information available tells us that the heist will be done by a group of young people who gain internet fame by broadcasting their crimes online while avoiding the police.
Director David Leitch is quite at home in the world of action movies. He began his career as a stunt performer, and was a five-time stunt double for Brad Pitt and a two-time double for Jean-Claude Van Damme (sadly not for Van Damme’s Pittsburgh flick, Sudden Death). As a director, Leitch helmed the stunts-heavy Bullet Train, The Fall Guy, Deadpool 2, and others. Leitch’s filmography tells us we can expect How to Rob a Bank to follow a similar format, with high-flying stunts and see-it-to-believe action.
Ryan Gosling, David Leitch and stunt performer Logan Holladay on the set of The Fall Guy. Courtesy of Universal Studios
Making up the cast for How to Rob a Bank are Nicholas Hoult (Nosferatu), Zoë Kravitz (Blink Twice), Anna Sawai (Shōgun), Pete Davidson (SNL), and Rhenzy Feliz (The Penguin). Davidson is the odd one out of the group. The rest all have a history, to various degrees, of action roles. It seems like Davidson will provide comic relief, and potentially a surprising stunt or two, for the film.
If you’re in the Pittsburgh area, How to Rob a Bank is looking for extras! The production is looking for folks who can join them for multiple days during the shoot. They’re asking for kids, teens, and adults of all ethnicities. These extras will portray a variety of Pittsburgh locals - sports fans, motor cross/e-bike/bicycle groups, SWAT/FBI/cop types, diner patrons, business types, and more. How to Rob a Bank wants to honor the diversity of the city and portray Pittsburgh accurately for Pittsburghers and non-locals alike.
The bulk of the filming will take place in downtown Pittsburgh. Most recently, production has shut down the 16th Street bridge for multiple overnight shoots. According to a document submitted by the production company to Allegheny County, How to Rob a Bank is estimated to bring 200 local jobs to the area. They also estimate the crew to spend over $1 million with local vendors, $700,000 in location rental fees, and more than $250,000 in catering costs, while booking 500 hotel room nights.
How to Rob a Bank is expected to be released on September 4, 2026.
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“Hershey” Wraps Filming in Pittsburgh
Have you heard? Something sweet is coming to a theater near you in 2026.
Have you heard? Something sweet is coming to a theater near you in 2026.
Timed to be released to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the United States, Hershey will tell the story of one of the most iconic candy companies in American history. While Milton Hershey, played by Finn Wittrock, might be most known outside of the Keystone state for his work in chocolate, those residing in Pennsylvania know that Milton cared deeply about education and building a community. In Hershey, PA, you can find the Milton Hershey School, a private school for low-income individuals aged 4–15.
At the helm of Hershey is director Mark Waters who is most known for comedies like Mean Girls, Freaky Friday, Just Like Heaven, and more. Waters will be directing a script written by Sharon Paul and Timothy Michael Hayes. Alongside Wittrock as Milton will be Alexandra Daddario (The White Lotus) as Catherine “Kitty” Hershey. Rounding out the rest of the cast are Alan Ruck (Succession), Richard Kind (Only Murders in the Building), and over 1,500 background actors, primarily from the surrounding Pennsylvania area.
Courtesy of Hershey
“As we wrap, I feel most grateful to the people of Pennsylvania, who have supported us and actively participated in making this shoot a success,” said Waters. “I feel immense pride in what we’ve been able to do here, particularly in the fully committed performances of Finn Wittrock and Alexandra Daddario, who have given their hearts and souls to portray two figures whose legacy still resonates today."
Hershey was shot across 17 locations throughout Pennsylvania, including Pittsburgh, Hershey, Harmony, Smithfield, and Ligonier. Seventy-four sets were built to showcase the rise of Milton from humble beginnings to the chocolate empire we know today. The film spans from the early 1870s to the late 1910s and features almost 300 period-accurate principal costumes. That’s not to mention the 2,000+ background costumes!
Of course, a movie about Milton Hershey wouldn’t be complete without a couple thousands of pieces of chocolate to boot.
Check out behind-the-scenes photos from the set of Hershey!
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