Coming soon! Night at the Museum II: Battle of the Smithsonian

Classes visiting the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum will soon also be able to see the museum on the big screen.

Film crews recently wrapped up four days of shooting for the upcoming movie, Night at the Museum II: Battle of the Smithsonian. Set primarily in Washington, D.C., the sequel will include scenes shot at the National Air and Space Museum and at the Smithsonian Castle.

Starring Ben Stiller, the action comedy is a sequel to Night at the Museum, which was set at the Museum of Natural History in New York. Stiller returns as the character Larry Dale, a night watchman who encounters living museum exhibits.

Directed by Shawn Levy, the cast of Night at the Museum II: Battle of the Smithsonian includes some of the actors from the first movie — Stiller, Owen Wilson and Dick Van Dyke. Additional characters are played by Robin Williams as Teddy Roosevelt, Amy Adams, Hank Azaria and others.

While the Smithsonian Castle and the National Air and Space Museum have appeared in other movies, this agreement between the Smithsonian Institution and 20th Century Fox marks the first time in its 162-year history that the Smithsonian has allowed its name to be used in the title of a movie produced for theatrical distribution.

Smithsonian officials say the move is an innovative way to capture the imagination of a young audience. The film positively portrays museums and historical artifacts and focuses attention on the Smithsonian’s collection, bringing to life real heroes, including Amelia Earhart and the Wright Brothers.

The National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center was also recently used for scenes in the upcoming film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Night at the Museum II: Battle of the Smithsonian is scheduled for release in May 2009.