Hollywood movie stars and film crews set up shop in Swannanoa this summer to film scenes for a major motion picture expected to be released next August. The area around the old Swannanoa Bank & Trust Co. on Whitson Avenue was a hotbed of activity for several days while filming progressed. The bank itself was converted into a cafe for one of the movie scenes, and parking meters were installed on the street. Although the roads around the set were closed to traffic, curious onlookers showed up on foot in hopes of spotting one or more of the film’s stars, including well-known actors Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson and Kristen Wiig. After finishing up in Swannanoa, the film crew moved its operations to Asheville and other locations around western North Carolina.

The as-yet-unnamed movie is based on a true crime — the 1997 heist of $17 million dollars in cash from the regional vault of Loomis & Fargo Co. in Charlotte.