Livingston Suspends Filming of Controversial Daily Wire Movie

Well, things escalated quickly.

Only a couple of days ago, we were discussing an unusual situation developing in downtown Livingston, where filmmakers had turned a segment of this relatively calm town into Minneapolis as a backdrop for a film featuring ICE Agents, protesters, fire, and a bunch of political turmoil.

Read More: How Downtown Livingston Transformed Into A Minneapolis Film Set

The City of Livingston has put the brakes on the project (temporarily).

Livingston Calls a Special Meeting

According to Deadline, the "movie" titled "Pawn Shop," which is filming under that title and is connected to Ben Shapiro's Daily Wire and Bonfire Legend, has caused the City of Livingston to hold a special commission meeting over the weekend. At that meeting, local residents expressed concern regarding the impact of the production upon their community. Ultimately, the commission voted unanimously to halt filming temporarily until the City Attorney can assess if a modification, revocation or suspension should occur to the filming permit.

Stephen Maturen, Getty Images

Which means, for now at least, filming will cease.

Apparently, it wasn’t just about people having differing opinions regarding the political aspect of the movie:

A Local Issue Developed Regarding Filming In Downtown Livingston

Local residents are complaining about closed roads, blanks fired from firearms, pyrotechnic effects, and even a simulated car wreck, with some of these individuals claiming they were never advised in advance about the nature of the activities occurring within their neighborhood.

Stephen Maturen, Getty Images

Of particular note is that the road closures and increased security measures surrounding the filming areas resulted in additional barriers for those utilizing the services of the Livingston Food Resource Center. The center stated that due to the road closures and increased security resulting from filming, fewer people attended the food pantry. One report indicated that attendance decreased by 17% at the food pantry on one day of filming alone.

At this point, this becomes less about an interesting event taking place downtown and more about a Hollywood production negatively impacting people who really do live here.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Philip DeFranco | Daily News (@phillydefranco)

Police Chief Wayne Hard reported to Deadline that he has received complaints related to the production every single day. However, according to reports, there have been no acts of violence.

What Happens to "Pawn Shop" Now?

It appears that filming was originally going to conclude on October 10th. Due to the temporary halt in filming activity, the City Attorney will have sufficient time to review the production permit and determine what actions will take place thereafter.

Still kind of odd seeing Livingston make national news for pretending to look like Minneapolis. I guess the same could be said for western Montana hosting a hit television drama made to look like a mob movie had a baby with a western movie.