Local Yokels

Shirley MacLaine will star while--Alan Arkin and Vera Farmiga. are negotiating to take roles in writer-director Sue Kramer indie feature "The Locals" says Deadline

The film puts a Jewish/Italian spin on William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet that begins shooting in the Bronx this Fall.

“These two cultures have so much in common,” Kramer said. “Love of gab, love of food, they talk with their hands, and they feed you with guilt.”

Jill Footlick, Marina Grasic and Kramer will produce.