Lytle Tunnel closures Thursday for filming of a new Warner Bros. movie. What to know

A portion of the Lytle Tunnel will close this week for the filming of a new Warner Bros. movie.

According to a traffic advisory from the Ohio Department of Transportation, the southbound lanes of I-71 will be closed from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, July 18. Closures will last for up to 15 minutes at any time. The frequency of the closures may vary, but only two 15-minute closures are anticipated during the two-hour time span.

The Cincinnati Police Department will control traffic flow with a rolling roadblock during the afternoon and early evening.

Kathleen Fuller, a public information officer for ODOT, told The Enquirer the department issued a permit to a Warner Bros. Studios production crew to close the tunnel so that they could shoot a scene for an upcoming film. Fuller could not confirm which movie would be shot in Lytle Tunnel.

However, a film called “Genesis” was awarded more than $11 million in tax credits from Ohio in February to film in Cincinnati and Cleveland, according to a press release.

Film buffs and DC Comic fans speculated that “Genesis” was a working title for “Superman: Legacy." The "Genesis" tax credit application, previously obtained by The Enquirer from the Ohio Department of Development, confirmed it has the same director, producer, and starring cast as the "Superman" film.

A June Facebook post from Angela Boehm Casting, a Cleveland-based casting agency, said "Genesis" was searching for "real police officers to be extras."

According to the casting sign-up form, filming in Cincinnati and Cleveland was set to take place between June 17 and July 18. A separate Google Docs form said filming for police extras in Cincinnati would take place June 24 and 28, as well as July 3, 8, and 18.