BUTTE — The production company for the highly successful "Yellowstone" television franchise is considering possibly filming part of its 1932 series in historic Uptown Butte.
“Butte was one of the happening places west of the Mississippi in 1932, so they’d really like to have the authenticity of the architecture here and be able to film her in Butte,” said Butte Civic Center Manager Bill Melvin.
Representatives with 101 Studios have been in negotiations with Chief Executive J.P. Gallagher to rent out the Butte Civic Center for production of the new series that is expected to star Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren.
No deal has been reached yet.
“They have told us point-blank this would be the base for them, but they will be going elsewhere to do production as well,” said Melvin.
If the production company chooses Butte, there could be up to 400 people working in town from the summer until late fall. City officials say this would be great for the local economy.
“We’re looking forward to this production coming in. We’ve got the Folk Festival, we’ve got An Ri Ra, we’ve got all these wonderful community events coming in and they’ll be here for all that,” said Melvin.
And at over 20,000 square feet and its high ceiling, the Butte Civic Center is the perfect place for the production company to work its Hollywood magic.
“Additionally, they like the room, so they can keep wardrobe here and vehicles; it’s a very good facility for what they need,” he said.
The city is expecting more visits from production representatives before a final decision is made.
