Shooting Begins on Oliver Stone-Directed, Laguna Beach-Set Film Version of "Savages"

Shooting has finally begun on Savages, the Oliver Stone-directed film version of Don Winslow's Laguna Beach-set crime novel.

According to the site On Location Vacations, filming began yesterday (Tuesday) at the Malibu Riding and Tennis Club (that's in Malibu, as in, not Laguna Beach. Booooo!). No word if any scenes or even B-roll footage will be shot here in town.

That would be fun, though, considering the celebrity-stuffed cast—Blake Lively, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson, Salma Hayek, Benicio del Toro and Emile Hirsch, not to mention Stone himself. The film, for now, is slotted to be released on September 28, 2012.

So what's the plot of Savages? Well, it's probably not a film that the Chamber of Commerce will be getting behind, that's for sure. Here's a synopsis of Winslow's book, from Booklist:

"Ben and Chon are two Americans running a lucrative marijuana operation out of ritzy Laguna Beach, California. Their business is buzzing along nicely until members of the Mexican Baja Cartel decide they want a piece of the action. Ben, a charitable, environmentally conscious Berkeley grad, doesn’t want any trouble. Former Navy Seal Chon prefers peace as well, but not if it means giving up primo weed. When Ben and Chon resist the Mexicans’ demands, the cartel kidnaps “O” (short for Ophelia), the boys’ close confidante and frequent bedroom playmate. Ben and Chon conjure clever schemes to outwit their adversaries and win back O, using everything from improvised explosive devices to Letterman and Leno masks."

Unfortunately John Travolta isn't playing the role of "frequent bedroom playmate," but click here for a cast breakdown according to Screen Rant.

For a better idea of how the film might look, click on the YouTube video box above to view a trailer for the book version of Savages—yes, they make trailers for books, too. Weird!