Cars on Travolta film torched

Filming of a John Travolta movie partly set in one of Paris’s toughest estates was suspended after 10 cars set to be used in the film were torched, the production company said today.

Filming of the action movie 'From Paris With Love' has been in progress for around two weeks, with scenes in the Les Bosquets area to be shot this week. Around 90 residents were cast in roles as extras.

Cars are regularly burned in French sink estates, most famously during rioting that raged for three weeks in 2005 in poor areas across the country.

It was not immediately known who was responsible for setting alight the eight cars parked at a local stadium and two nearby, said Timm Rigal, aide to Mayor Xavier Lemoine of Montfermeil, where the estate is located.

The Europacorp production company refused to confirm the mayor’s claim that the project scenes were being definitively cancelled.

A production official said that Europacorp chief Luc Besson, the French director, writer and producer, was reviewing the situation.

Filming of the English-language movie, directed by Pierre Morel and also starring Cork actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers, continues with indoor scenes programmed this week, according to the production official.