“Keep your helmets on, guys, we’re still rolling!” someone barked at the football players running drills Tuesday morning on Case Field.
But rather than the familiar blue and white of Spartan football, the players wore the red and white of the University of Wisconsin.
Because, for half a day, Case Western Reserve University’s football stadium, with the North Residential Village as the sturdy brick backdrop, was the scene of the shoot for the upcoming Ivan Reitman film Draft Day.
The movie is a fictional story about the Cleveland Browns’ pursuit of franchise-changing talent in an upcoming NFL Draft.
It stars Oscar-winner Kevin Costner as Browns General Manager Sonny Weaver, Jennifer Garner, Denis Leary and Sam Elliott, who plays the Wisconsin coach whose quarterback is considered a prime draft choice.
And Case Field stands in as Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium.
The film crew was concluding a 38-day shoot—35 of which were shot in Greater Cleveland, including Shaker Heights, FirstEnergy Stadium and the Browns’ Berea headquarters.
The Case Field scene involved a crew of 130, plus 30 to 40 extras. Draft Day is scheduled for release next spring.