Old NM prison serving as backdrop to 'Geronimo'

[February 03, 2012]  SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) -- Set builders for "Code Name: Geronimo" are putting together a replica of Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan at an old New Mexico state penitentiary as filming begins this week.

The Voltage Productions film will tell the story of the manhunt for bin Laden, with executive producer Tony Mark saying it will focus on the imagined dynamics of the special group of Navy SEALs that carried out the raid and the decision-making processes that might have taken place in Washington.

Mark, who also produced the "The Hurt Locker," tells The New Mexican (http://bit.ly/AwaTMV) all local filming should be done by the end of February. He says he's moving quickly to get the film in theaters while last spring's event in Pakistan remains fresh in Americans' minds.

Following the raid, the use of the name "Geronimo" in the operation drew angry criticism from many Native Americans, who felt it disrespected the revered Apache warrior's legacy.

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Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com/

[Associated Press]

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