Fresh off the triumphant premiere of the movie “The Flyboys” which was partially filmed in Mesquite, the bright lights and cameras of Hollywood are again rolling in Nevada’s “Diamond in the Desert.”

Production crews and actors have taken over a portion of the CasaBlanca casino this week to film part of the movie “Rough Hustle.”

The movie could be called “Ocean’s Half Dozen,” a grittier flick about a group of friends who attempt to beat a downtown Las Vegas casino.

The film revolves around “Dean,” played by Matt Bushell, who is trying to get his life in order by coming to the one city where so many other lives come undone.

Dean puts together a team of hard working guys in order to take on the casino.

With this independent movie still in production, many of the plot details are still in flux.

However, the project is coming together extremely well, according to Executive Producer Brendan Davis. [[AD-3-Right]]

“It’s been fantastic, better than we expected,” Davis said of the Mesquite shoot, in between takes on Tuesday.

“Until you get to a place, you just don’t know. We’re really pinching ourselves at how well it’s going.”

Davis explained that he and writer/director Delaney Dragon specifically chose Mesquite because the casinos have “much more of the old Vegas feel.”

Publicist Johnny Royal agrees.

“The footage so far is incredible,” Royal said on Tuesday.

Davis has managed to put together an enthusiastic cast of veterans like Joe Estevez, the younger brother of film icon Martin Sheen, along with a group of young but experienced actors who are on the rise.

Estevez has appeared in nearly 200 movies during his career, including some of the voice-over work for his brother in the movie “Apocalypse Now.”

In 1996, he worked with Davis on the movie “Demolition Highway.”

In addition to Estevez, “Rough Hustle” features actors Bushell and heartthrob Michael Welch, who both recently completed work on “Twilight,” the movie based on the best-selling vampire novel by Stephenie Meyer.

In that film, Welch plays “Mike Newton,” a student at Folks High School who develops a crush on the movie’s heroine.

“Twilight” has generated enormous buzz in Hollywood and across the country.

It’s set for release this weekend, and is expected to draw sellout crowds.

In “Rough Hustle,” Welch plays “Dean’s” friend “Jimmy,” an adrenaline junkie with a “need for speed.”

In an ironic twist, Welch explained on Tuesday that even though he and Bushell both appeared in “Twilight,” the two men never actually met until they showed up for work on “Hustle.”

While the experience of working on a potential blockbuster was a terrific opportunity for Welch, he is enjoying his new role.

“It’s a fun character to play,” Welch said, describing “Jimmy” as a “street racer, card counter, and adrenaline junkie who has a weakness for women.”

“It’s great to just play an adult,” the 21-year-old actor added, pointing out that most of his work in a career that has spanned both television and the big screen has been “playing high school kids.”

Welch has an enormous pedigree for someone so young.

He has appeared in such movies as George A. Romero’s “Day of the Dead” and “The Grind” with C. Thomas Howell.

He has also starred in nearly 50 TV shows including FX’s “The Riches,” “CSI: Miami,” “Law and Order: SVU,” and all 45 episodes of “Joan of Arcadia.”

On Tuesday, Welch said he is enjoying the more comfortable, fraternal feel of this ensemble after the high-pressure schedule of “Twilight.”

“It’s nice to work on something without all the expectations.”

Unlike the stereotypical Hollywood stars who are often seen as arrogant, Welch was extraordinarily accommodating and down to earth while chatting in between takes.

On Tuesday, Welch and his co-stars were doing interior scenes in the CasaBlanca casino.

As is common on a movie set, a lot of it was “hurry up and wait,” as the crew laboriously set up shots, specific lighting, and camera angles.

In addition to the excitement of having a major motion picture filmed in Mesquite, the movie has also provided an opportunity for locals to get involved as “extras.”

In fact, a casting call has gone out from the Goldman & Associates casting agency for “fun people who would like to be part of our movie as casino guests, casino employees, and club goers.”

Local resident Coral Cardon is set to play the role of a “pit boss,” while others like Jeff Dorsten have even landed speaking parts.

Dorsten was tapped to play a stand-up comedian during one of the lounge scenes.

“They gave me the joke lines and I did it,” Dorsten said.

It was a karmic moment for Dorsten, who first began dreaming of an acting career after doing a public “reading” for Martin Sheen back in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio.

In fact, that reading cost him his job as a plumber when his boss found out he was attending the reading instead of working.

Now, two years after moving to Mesquite, Dorsten is appearing in a movie that stars Sheen’s brother, Joe.

According to casting director Julie Goldman, a few people are still needed for the last few days of filming in Mesquite, which ends on Friday before heading to downtown Las Vegas for the exterior shots.

Anyone interested in serving as an extra can call Goldman at (702) 990-3133.

The film is set for a 2009 release.

To find out more about the movie, visit www.roughhustle.com.