That article about still shooting in NOLA is only 2 weeks old. I'd be surprised if the location changed already and Channing was already there doing stuff for the movie.
Yeah, he's looking trimmed down again. I wonder if he's getting tired of slimming down and then getting the production date backed up again. Anyway, He's got plenty of time to slim down to exactly where he wants to be. I think he's going to look great in costume when the time comes.