Facing the spot where the action will happen is a small village of wardrobe handlers, extras, production assistants and others. On a cracked asphalt road, two cars are about to crash at the intersection where a former Bengies Groceries sits, slowly being consumed by vegetation. (Doug Kapustin / XX)Īfter multiple rehearsals in West Baltimore, it’s time to shoot.

In Baltimore, we face it with our bulletproof vests forward.”ġ999: Actors Sean Nelson, left, and Brian O'Neill work through a scene during the filming of 'The Corner' based on a David Simon book by the same name. “The older way of holding guns was not safe, because if you take a round under your armpit, you’re done. We have an athletic, straightforward approach,” he said about pointing a gun at a suspect.

“Being that it is Baltimore, the way we hold our guns is more tactical. Several things are unique about Baltimore policing, Severino said, including the way officers handle their guns. Severino is from New York, where many of his family members worked in law enforcement. “We Own This City” likely will be no different, considering the attention to detail at work on the set.īaltimore Police Detective Andres Severino, who has been with the department for 11 years, is one of the consultants, along with Fenton. Each of his Baltimore stories is known for its authenticity. The specifics of a setting are what inform and set apart much of Simon’s TV portfolio. It’s much more specific, about 10, 15 years ago.” He offers a few clues in a follow-up interview: “It’s not JFK-related. Simon said he is finishing a script for a project to follow “We Own This City.” It will be an HBO show set in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. I get a lot of credit for being the ringleader, but this is all him. “George, magnanimously, said this is a chance to get back together with Ed and some new voices and do this as a miniseries. He called George and said, ‘What’s going in Baltimore? You guys should do that.’ In an interview earlier this year, he said, “Kary and George have been good friends for years. Many of the other shows bearing Simon’s name explore systemic corruption and failures of institutions, such as “Generation Kill,” which premiered on HBO in 2008 and followed a Marine battalion during the first Iraq invasion, and the 2010 HBO show “Treme,” set amid political corruption in New Orleans.īut Baltimore is a favorite setting for Simon, although he insists his role in this production is one of a lesser among equals. David Simon (center, black cap) and George Pelecanos (right, blue shirt) on the set of 'We Own This City,' an HBO miniseries based on Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton's book of the same name.

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