May 3, 2010 By Christine Haines 3 min read

BROWNSVILLE – Movie producer and screenwriter Brian Hartman finished filming the movie “Riddle” in Brownsville this week, but it’s not the end of his time in Fayette County. “It’s a beautiful area and the more we’re out here, the more we discover,” Hartman said. “I plan to spend the rest of my summer looking around Fayette County.”

Hartman, who co-wrote “Riddle” with the movie’s directors, Nick Mross and John Hartman, who is his brother, said he has been inspired by the architecture in Brownsville, particularly the Union Station Building.

“I love the look of it. The train station over there and other places have inspired me,” Hartman said.

Hartman said the area has spurred ideas for future films he would like to make. Right now the task is to complete “Riddle,” a psychological thriller set in the fictional location of Riddle County, Pennsylvania.

Hartman said the movie is a psychological thriller featuring Val Kilmer as the sheriff of Riddle County. It also features Elizabeth Harnois, who has numerous television credits, William Sadler, who was in “The Shawshank Redemption, Ryan Malgarini from the television series “Gary Unmarried” and other credits, and Diora Baird, with credits including the 2006 version of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”

“She’s a very well-known actress in the horror genre,” Hartman said.

The Brownsville Free Public Library has been transformed into the sheriff’s office. The movie’s art department skillfully covered the name of the library, which is carved into the stone façade, leaving what appears to be blank stone in its place.

Librarian Meredith Hamilton is hoping to keep a memento of the movie at the library: the lettering on the front window declaring the building the Riddle County Sheriff’s Office.

“I’d like to keep it for a while. We have trouble decorating that window,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton is looking forward to seeing the final version of the movie to see how many features from the library are identifiable. A small piece of her family history and Fayette County history may or may not make it into the final production: her great-great-uncle’s safe, which sits in a corner of the office near the sheriff’s desk. The safe is stenciled with his name, E.L. Zearley, for Edmund Lee Zearley. Hamilton noted that he was one of the founders of Fayette Engineering.

From Brownsville, the film crew moves to a set in Allegheny County. Hartman said the primary shooting would be done in May, followed by shooting the stunt scenes over the summer. He anticipates that the finished product will be ready by the end of September, with possible release in the spring or summer of 2011.

“We have a major distributor on board. We’ve been very happy with what’s been presented to us,” Hartman said.

Hartman said all of the publicity about the film and the exact timing of its release will be up to the distributor.