Stephen King's 'Under the Dome' films in Southport, NC, with 'more to come'

Last summer, Southport was a "Safe Haven," now it's going "Under the Dome."

CBS is currently filming a 13-part series based on Stephen King's novel, "Under the Dome," about a mysterious dome that covers a small town in Maine. Except, instead of taping the series in Maine, they are taping in Wilmington, Burgaw and Southport, North Carolina.

According to WECT, four cast members and about a dozen extras filmed in four Southport locations on March 1: Howe Street, Nash Street, West Bay Street, and East Bay Street. They have photos of "Big Jim's" — which looks like Big Jim Rennie's car dealership, from the novel.

"It's the start of more to come," Southport Mayor Pro Tem Mary Ellen Poole told WECT.

Back in mid-February, Southport approved the filming of "Under the Dome" at Southport City Hall. Producers had plans to paint the building, which would eventually be returned to its original color. They also wanted to remove the pews inside the room and use chairs instead.

According to the Wilmington Star News, filming started on February 28. Production is based at Wilmington’s EUE/Screen Gems Studios, but filming is also being done around the city. According to a Feb. 22 WECT report, "Under the Dome" also had tentative plans to shoot in Burgaw on March 6 and 7.

"Under the Dome" stars Dean Norris ("Breaking Bad") as Jim Rennie, Mike Vogel as Dale Barbara, Rachelle Lefevre as Julia, Alexander Koch as Junior, Britt Robertson as Angie, Natalie Martinez as Linda, Mackenzie Lintz as Norrie, Colin Ford as Joe and Aisha Hinds as Carolyn.

The series will premiere at 10 p.m. Monday, June 24 on CBS.