Cameras Roll For 'Death Wish' Remake In Chicago

(CBS)  -- The film production of "Death Wish" -- a remake of the 1974 urban-paranoia classic starring Charles Bronson -- was scheduled to film aerial shots in downtown Chicago Saturday night.

The Chicago Department of Transportation said MGM is filming the aerial scenes between 6 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. along the Chicago River, between Franklin and LaSalle; and on LaSalle Street between Jackson and Washington. Motorists should use Clark or Dearborn Streets as north/south alternatives while LaSalle is closed, officials said.

The "Death Wish" redo stars Bruce Willis of "Die Hard" fame and is directed by Eli Roth, best known for the horror movie"Hostel."

The Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips reports the new "Death Wish" is being filmed largely in Canada, which offers tax incentives to film productions. It wasn't clear if the new film is set here in Chicago, or whether the city will simply provide generic city locations.

The original "Death Wish" starred tough-guy Bronson as a New York architect who becomes a gun-wielding vigilante after his family is victimized. The public, frustrated by rampant violence, supports his brand of street violence. Police eventually shoo Bronson away, and his character makes a new start of it ... in Chicago. The film ends by suggesting Bronson will continue his old ways.

The issue of using Chicago as a backdrop for screen violence last year struck a nerve with some city officials, including Mayor Rahm Emanuel, as Spike Lee filmed his feature "Chiraq" on the South Side. Supporters of the film, including Chicago activist priest Michael Pfleger, said the title of the film reflects the reality that some Chicagoans experience.