Columbia Pictures plans to spend more than two months in southeastern Utah's Canyonlands filming the movie "Geronimo."
Construction crews in Moab already are building sets and filming is to begin in May.The work is expected to bring a crew of 250 to Moab.
"We're going to have a casting call to get local extras and more construction workers," said Michelle Wright, advance production supervisor.
"This will mean megabucks to this area," said Bette Stanton, executive director of the Moab Film Commission.
Bureau of Land Management officials said they were working closely with producers and environmentalists to ensure there would be no harm to public lands.
"We're conducting an actual field investigation of the filming sites this week with people from `Geronimo,' our staff and a representative of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance," said Brad Palmer, manager of BLM's Grand Resource Area.
The filming application is for shooting May 18 through July 4 at such sites as Shafer Trail, Whitewash Sand Dunes, Ida Gulch, Onion Creek and near the Needles Overlook.
The director will be Walter Hill ("48 Hours) and Wes Studi ("The Last of the Mohicans") will play the title role.
The film is to chronicle the life of the Apache leader who resisted white encroachment and made bloody raids on both sides of the Mexican border. The filming sites in Utah were not part of his territory.
"When they made the final decision where to shoot, our friend Geronimo never put a moccasin in any of those areas," said Bill MacCallum, director of the Arizona Film Commission. Some of the scenes will be in Arizona.