INWOOD—Eagle-eyed uptowners need not worry if they spot a fire escape burglary, a bloody man with a gun or an exploding car along Riverside Drive Friday or Saturday — it may be make-believe.
TV crews will be in the neighborhood to film a Cinemax series called "Blanco," which IMDB says will star actor Shiloh Fernandez as the title character, a Dominican gangster nicknamed from his light skin. The protagonist uses his status as a police informant to build a criminal empire.
Community Board 12 and state Sen. Adriano Espaillat's office shared news of the filming with Inwood residents by email Monday afternoon.
According to the email, an actor will enter an apartment from a fire escape Friday at 1803 Riverside Dr., located between Payson Avenue and Henshaw Street — a crime that's a little too close to home for some residents in Washington Heights and Inwood. Police have nabbed several accused fire-escape bandits over the past year and have continually implored uptowners to lock their windows.
Another actor will load a prop gun as part of the scene, which will be shot between 7 and 9 a.m. No shots will be fired during the scene, CB12 and Espaillat's office said.
A second scene will take place at Fort Washington Park Friday afternoon and will involve an actor throwing a prop gun wrapped in an imitation blood-soaked shirt into the Hudson River.
Film crews will return to Fort Washington Park Saturday at 1 a.m. to shoot a scene where an actor will stuff a rag into a gas tank of a BMW before lighting it and walking away as the car explodes.
Friday morning's filming crews will take up parking on both sides of Payson Avenue between Dyckman Street and Riverside Drive and the north side of Riverside Drive between Henshaw Street and Payson Avenue. The Fort Washington Park scenes will block off parking on both sides of Dyckman Street from Payson Avenue to Fort Washington Park, and the north side of Riverside Drive between Payson and Seaman avenues.
