Bus 657

Plot

A casino card dealer with a past, who puts a crew together to rob a bank and hijack a city bus as collateral. The film centers on a father without the means to pay for his daughter’s medical treatment. As a last resort, he partners with a greedy co-worker to rob a casino and the two hijack a bus full of hostages and things go awry.

Cast

Production

On November 6, 2013, it was announced that Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films acquired a heist script Bus 757 from writer Stephen Cyrus Sepher to finance and produce the film. Randall Emmett would produce the $15 million budgeted film along with George Furla, Alexander Tabrizi and Sepher, about a card dealer who puts a crew together to rob a bank and hijack a city bus. On May 17, Robert De Niro was set to star in the film for the lead role known as "The Pope", a casino owner whose money is the target of the heist. Scott Mann was set to direct the film, which Lionsgate would distribute. On September 24, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kate Bosworth, Dave Bautista and Gina Carano joined the cast of the film which also added Max Adams as an additional screenwriter. Morgan would play a man who puts the crew to rob the Frank "The Pope"s casino, and Bosworth would play De Niros daughter. On October 13, screenwriter Stephen Cyrus Sepher was also spotted on the set, who was also involved in the film to star, and was later confirmed to play Julian Dante, one of the guys who rob the casino. Morris Chestnut was spotted on the set on October 15 but his casting was confirmed by Deadline on October 17, he would play Derrick “Dog” Prince, "The Pope"s right-hand man who has to bring the money back before the cops seize it and realize its dirty. On October 31, the film was sold to different international distributors, including Lionsgate International for the UK.

Filming

Filming began on October 13, 2014, in Mobile, Alabama. The shoot was previously set to be taken place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. On October 13, some actors were spotted on the set at Hayleys Bar in downtown Mobile where they would shoot through October 30, reportedly they were filming a scene at Bar involved some characters planning a heist. On October 15, De Niro was spotted filming on in the Crystal Ballroom of The Battle House Hotel, where the Crystal Ballroom was transformed into 1940s-style casino called "The Swan Casino," owned by De Niros character "The Pope." Same day actor Morris Chestnut was also spotted unexpectedly on the set while filming scenes on the corner of Royal and St. Francis streets in downtown Mobile. On October 21, filming was taken place on Causeway, which was closed by the police from eastbound entrance of Bankhead Tunnel to east of the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park.