Though publicists for Universal Pictures were unable to confirm production dates or shooting locations on Monday, preproduction on a sequel to 2003's "Bruce Almighty" is apparently under way in Charlottesville and Crozet and production teams are already at work.

"The folks in town now are basically carpenters that are employed by the studio," said Ric Barrick, Charlottesville city spokesman. "What they're doing is building an ark which is about 400 feet and it's part of the story line."

"Bruce" starred Jim Carrey as a TV news reporter who complains to God and, as a lesson in humility, is suddenly granted almighty powers. In the sequel, titled "Evan Almighty," God asks a regular guy to build an ark in preparation for a devastating flood.

The title role will be played by Steve Carrell, who played Carrey's nemesis in "Bruce" and starred in "The 40 Year Old Virgin." Morgan Freeman is set to reprise his role as God.

Barrick said production was expected to take place from mid-March to mid-June.

"They're expecting about 200 folks to be here working on the movie at its height, and we're in negotiations for them to locate their administrative offices within the city," he said. "Most of the shots will be out in Crozet, and then there will be some city shots done in and around Charlottesville." Crozet is a small Albemarle County town west of Charlottesville.

Mary Nelson, communications manager for the Virginia Film Office, said she had no details regarding the film's schedule or budget or the impact the production would have on the local economy, but did say that "typically a movie that films on location leaves about 25 to 30 percent of its budget behind ... so the impact is significant. If it's a $40 million movie, it could be a $10 million impact."

According to boxoffice- mojo.com, a Web site that posts film costs and grosses, the production budget for "Bruce Almighty" was $81 million.

The Charlottesville-Albemarle area reportedly was selected for several reasons.

"They wanted mountains in the backdrop," said Barrick. "They also wanted a partially finished subdivision because that's part of the story line, and that's why the Crozet area fit well with their plans."

There are local connections within the crew, too. The production's location scout, Tom Trigo, lives in Crozet; and the film's director, Tom Shadyac, who helmed the original "Bruce" as well as "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," is a 1981 graduate of the University of Virginia.