Any production hoping to shut down Dallas streets or sidewalks for filming has to go through the Dallas Office of Special Events. After they sign off, the Dallas Police Department has to approve a traffic plan for the shoot. A DPD spokesman said Monday that the department did suggest that weekend filming might be more appropriate than 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. filming on a workday, but the department's request went unheeded. The city, too, asked that the shooting be done over the weekend, but that didn't work.
"In discussions with the Office of Special Events, the Production Company and City departments, several suggestions, including weekend filming, were discussed," city of Dallas spokesman Richard Hill said via email late Monday. "However, due to actor availability, this was not a viable option. Ultimately, DPD and the Street Department reviewed and approved the traffic control plan prior to issuing the final permit."
Among the actors involved in the production, Franco, at least publicly, seems the most likely culprit to have been (completely reasonably) unavailable, due to his having become a man over the weekend.
By Wednesday morning, the issues were mostly rectified. DPD deployed additional officers to direct traffic, and road closures for Wednesday and Thursday were moved back to 9 a.m. Thursday, though, may bring additional issues, as Dallas residents have been warned that there will be live, blank gunfire downtown.
