New Mexico becoming Morocco for Indy film

DEMING, N.M., June 8 (UPI) -- Hollywood set whiz-kids have been in southern New Mexico for several weeks, transforming the area into Morocco for the fourth "Indiana Jones" movie.

A building at the former air strip in Deming, N.M., was painted blue and now sports a USAF insignia and "Home of the Fighter Pilot" on an outside wall, The Las Cruces (N.M.) Sun-News reported Friday. World War II Air Force vehicles are parked nearby.

New Mexico reportedly is the first filming site, but filming dates haven't been announced, the newspaper said.

Steven Spielberg will direct the still-to-be-named Indiana Jones adventure and George Lucas is executive producer.

Harrison Ford will reprise his role as the globe-trotting adventurer, but retirement means Sean Connery is out as Indy's dad.

"I thought long and hard about it and if anything could have pulled me out of retirement it would have been an Indiana Jones film," Connery said in a statement released by Lucasfilm. Noting he enjoyed working with Spielberg, Lucas and Ford, Connery said, "In the end, retirement is just too damned much fun."

Other actors on board include Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone and John Hurt.