Coen Bros. bring 'True Grit' to Downtown Austin

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Before the sun came up Thursday morning, film crews were busy turning back the clocks in Downtown Austin.

On 9th Street between Congress and Brazos, the street quickly transformed into a movie set for the Coen Brothers' remake of the 1969 classic, “True Grit” . Modern touches like street lamps and signs have to go, so the street would resemble the early 1900s.

It is one of the biggest Hollywood productions in Austin in recent years, due to other states offering higher incentives for film productions.

The film wraps on 9th Street on Friday.

"We had, frankly, a down period for a while with the incentives other people were offering, until we got a little bit more competitive with them," said Austin Film Commission Director Gary Bond.

Bond said a 15 percent state sales-tax exemption (up from 5 percent just two years ago) helped lure the Coen Brothers back to town to remake "True Grit," which has also filmed in Blanco and Granger .

Both Louisiana and New Mexico still offer 25 percent sales tax exemptions, but Bond said Austin still outranks other cities in terms of offerings.

"There's a reason they pay you to film in Louisiana," said Bond. "Do you want to spend six months in Bossier City, or do you want to spend six months in Austin? Take your pick."

Other productions like NBC's "Friday Night Lights" and ABC's "Generation Y" are set to continue filming in Austin this year. And one of the more anticipated and controversial films of the year, Robert Rodriguez's "Machete " filmed downtown in recent years and is set for release later this year.

The block of 9th Street between Congress and Brazos will remain closed through 11 p.m. Friday. The best alternate routes are eastbound on 7th Street and east and westbound on 11th Street.

Filming for the movie has been making the rounds in Central Texas. Crews set up in Granger. The structures from the 1800s got a facelift with new windows and doors for filming.

The "True Grit" set is also set up in Blanco where they filmed at the 124 year-old Old Blanco County Courthouse .