Bringing His Roots to Pittsburgh

Thomas Tull who was very important in bringing The Dark Knight Rises to Pittsburgh, has purchased a home in the city.  He has purchased a condominium and office space to be converted into a home of 8000 square feet.  He is also a part owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he has been a fan of this team since he was a child.  Tull is not only a welcome new member of this city, he is one of the reasons Pittsburgh has been put on the map as a "new Hollywood".

Thomas Tull, the Legendary Pictures chairman and CEO who was instrumental in bringing "The Dark Knight Rises" to Pittsburgh, has talked a lot about his love for the city. Now he's showing it in a sizeable wayMr. Tull, a partner in the Steelers ownership group, last week completed the purchase of a $2.7 million condominium at Downtown's Three PNC Plaza, home to the Fairmont Hotel and the Reed Smith law firm.

He bought one entire floor and part of another in the 23-story office, residential and hotel tower on Fifth Avenue with the intent of combining them into one unit of nearly 8,000 square feet.

The buyer is officially listed as Lafayette Trust in Allegheny County real estate records, but the Post-Gazette has learned that Mr. Tull is actually behind the purchase.

It marks his second big outlay in Pittsburgh. Three years ago, Mr. Tull, a Steelers fan since childhood, made an undisclosed investment in the team to become part of its ownership group.

He's such a passionate fan that he flies in from Los Angeles for Steelers home games, where he usually can be seen in a Jack Lambert jersey. He'll be able to walk to Heinz Field from his new digs Downtown.

Mr. Tull, 42, decided to buy a condo here because, "He really loves the city. He considers it his adopted home and his second home to Los Angeles," said a source close to the CEO. "He's super devoted to it and he wanted to put down some roots there."

By the time he's finished building out the two-story unfinished unit, he is expecting the value to be nearly double the purchase price, the source said. Mr. Tull chose Three PNC Plaza in part because of its central location.

As executive director for "The Dark Knight Rises," Mr. Tull is credited with using his influence to encourage Warner Bros. to shoot a large part of the Batman movie here.

Legendary Pictures also was involved in "The Dark Knight" in 2008 and the earlier "Batman Begins."

Mr. Tull also is serving as executive director for the new Superman flick, "Man of Steel," to hit theaters next summer. Other Legendary films scheduled for release next year include "42," a biopic on baseball player Jackie Robinson, and "The Hangover Part III."

Dawn Keezer, director of the Pittsburgh Film Office, said that Mr. Tull helped to "put Pittsburgh on the map" in bringing "The Dark Knight Rises" here. The executive producer having a home in town can only be good news for the city, she said.

"Hopefully, it results in even more of his work coming here," she said. "We welcome him with open arms."

In addition to being part of the Steelers ownership group, Mr. Tull is a member of the Carnegie Mellon University board of trustees.

He and his wife, Alba, have three children.

Read more at the Post Gazette.

Win Tickets to the Jack Reacher Premiere

If you were not lucky enough to be on the crew for "Jack Reacher", you still have a chance to see Tom Cruise in person.  There will be a ticket lottery for the "Jack Reacher" premiere on December 15th. Keep reading to learn more.

 

Crank up the klieg lights. An email drawing to win tickets to the U.S. premiere of "Jack Reacher" filmed in Pittsburgh is now open.

To win a pair of seats for the 2 p.m. Dec. 15 event, which will come complete with Tom Cruise and a red carpet outside the SouthSide Works Cinema, send an email with your full name, age and home address to Pittsburgh@43kix.com.

That information also will be found in an advertisement in Thursday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette where the small print stipulates, as always, that the theater could be overbooked to ensure a full house so winners need to arrive early since admission is not guaranteed.

No tickets will be sold.

No tickets will be needed to huddle outside the theater and watch arrivals -- expected to start at 11 a.m. that Saturday -- and try to win one of the prizes, including iPads, Xbox 360s, Steelers, Pirates and Penguins jerseys and tickets to the premiere.



Mr. Cruise, director-writer Christopher McQuarrie and others will join Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen about 12:30 p.m. in the square in front of the Cheesecake Factory for a ceremony with Mayor Luke Ravenstahl thanking the city.

In addition to Mr. Cruise, fellow actors Robert Duvall, Rosamund Pike, David Oyelowo and Alexia Fast are expected along with novelist Lee Child, whose "One Shot" book is the basis for the movie.

The action thriller is about ex-military investigator Jack Reacher, a footloose and enigmatic loner who suspects a one-time military sniper did not kill five people, as police charge.

The movie opens nationwide Dec. 21.

In a first for Pittsburgh in recent decades, Paramount Pictures is renting all 10 screens and 1,659 seats for the premiere that will draw international outlets along with Pittsburgh area media.

In July 1994, Pittsburgh hosted the world premiere of "Angels in the Outfield" at Three Rivers Stadium.

The baseball fantasy was not filmed here but was inspired by the 1951 movie set at Forbes Field.

It attracted top Disney executives along with actors Danny Glover, Tony Danza, Milton Davis Jr., Taylor Negron and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the last of whom returned to Pittsburgh years later to film scenes for "The Dark Knight Rises."

For more information see the Post Gazette.