Photos: Oliver Stone's "Savages" Shooting at Main Beach

A film production crew is currently in the middle of a two-day shoot at Laguna Beach's Main Beach, filming scenes for director Oliver Stone's adaptation of Don Winslow's Laguna Beach-set novel, Savages.

TO SEE PHOTOS FROM THE SET, CLICK THE BOX ON THE RIGHT --->

Patch the Savages production when it began shooting in July. Initially the project had shot in Malibu and Los Angeles, but last week, production moved down to Dana Point for scenes with actor John Travolta.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PHOTOS FROM TUESDAY'S DAY 2 SHOOT

And now, Stone, the crew and some cast members (but not all) have made camp in Laguna Beach. Shooting took place yesterday (Monday) at Main Beach, and continues there again today (Tuesday). The production has also taken over the Act V parking lot in Laguna Canyon—that's where you'll find luxury buses and trailers used by the cast.

The city issues about one film permit a week, according to Susan Cannan, director of community services, but they're usually not as high-profile and A-list-heavy as this film. In addition to Travolta, Savages stars Blake Lively, Uma Thurman, Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson, Salma Hayek, Benicio del Toro and Emile Hirsch.

"Our main concern are our residents, they come first," Cannan tells Patch, when asked about the sudden influx of a large film crew into Laguna Beach. "The crew have been working with local businesses, and reimbursing both the police and off-duty lifeguards for their time." And also, Cannan adds, spending money in local hotels, restaurants and businesses.

Bob Lively, manager of the Laguna South Coast movie theater across from Main Beach, has already benefited from the shoot, he tells Patch. The Savages production paid him to change his theater's marquee to read MONSTER FEST THIS WEEKEND (because, after all, it would be a bit incongruous for people watching the movie to see Contagion or whatever is currently playing on either of the theater's two screens).

In other words, there is NO ACTUAL MONSTER FEST this or any other weekend at the theater.

Savages is still, for now, scheduled to be released Sept. 28, 2012. Here's a synopsis of the novel's plot, according to Booklist ... we assume the film won't take too drastic a turn from it:

"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."