Madness at the old federal building

Tyler Perry talks on his cellphone during a break in filming at the old federal courthouse on Broadway in Cape Girardeau on Tuesday. Photo by Laura Simon.

A crazy scene has played out outside the Southeast Missourian offices this morning and early afternoon.

Good luck finding parking in the lot behind our building if you work here, as most of those spaces are taken up by gawkers wanting to catch a glimpse of the action with Ben Affleck and Tyler Perry as they film "Gone Girl" scenes at the old federal courthouse on Broadway.

The courthouse serves as the North Carthage Police Department in Hollywood world. Ben Affleck plays Nick Dunne, a suspect in his wife Amy's disappearance, and Tyler Perry plays his high-powered defense lawyer. So of course, the North Carthage PD plays an important role in the story.

We've had a stream of Hollywood watchers all over our block all day long, so be ready for big crowds if you venture this way.

Photo editor Laura Simon captured images of Perry and Affleck on breaks in filming, and I saw Affleck with my own eyes. Other staffers here said they saw both actors milling about during shooting breaks.

Look for more photos to be posted on our site later.

For those who don't know yet, "Gone Girl" is a 20th Century Fox film based on the book of the same name. In addition to Affleck and Perry, it stars Neil Patrick Harris and Rosamund Pike. David Fincher is directing and Reese Witherspoon is producing.

--Matt Sanders