ATLANTA — Georgia has quickly become one of the top filming locations in the world.
Earlier this week, Gov. Brian Kemp and the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) revealed movie and television productions supported $2.9 billion invested in the state during fiscal year 2019, and residents are reaping the benefits, too.
During the past year, 399 productions filmed in Georgia, including 26 feature films, 31 independent films, 214 television series, 91 commercials and 29 music videos.
In 2018, film and television productions spent $2.7 billion in Georgia.
We’ve engaged with some of the current productions in action this week.
On Monday, we saw crews at work on the second season of BET’s American Soul, a series chronicling the disco dance show “Soul Train” during the 1970s.
The A-Scene crashed a set-in Midtown Atlanta where vintage cars were being used for exterior scenes.
Several dozen vintage cars were used for the scenes including Larry Gardner’s 1965 Dodge Dart. He tells us this was his first time using his vehicle for a film or television project for background work.
“My wife sent me a link with a casting call looking for a car,” Gardner said.
He revealed that his time on set did come with a reasonable paycheck.
“It’s not bad. It’s like $75 for eight hours, and $200 for the car,” he recalled.
Keep watching The A-Scene and you may find out how you can participate yourself, whether it's auditioning for a background role or having your car or home used in a scene in an upcoming production as we have more casting call information when it's made available!
Here's a look at some of the movies and television shows currently in production in and around metro Atlanta.
TV SHOWS & FILMS IN PRODUCTION
COMING TO AMERICA: QUEST
On Wednesday, we checked out production for the Coming To America sequel currently filming at a mansion belonging to Rick Ross!
Eddie Murphy and several other of the original cast members will appear in the sequel, which is scheduled to come out at the end of next year.
Several notable cast members from the original movie, including Arsenio Hall, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Louie Anderson, and John Amos are reprising their roles.
Amos is set to return as Cleo McDowell, the owner of McDowell’s, a spoof of McDonald’s.
We flew over the northern Fayette County mansion formerly owned by Evander Holyfield. Ross brought the purchased the property for $5.8 million in 2014 after it had fallen into foreclosure.
Video equipment was present in several parts of the location when we flew over the property.
“Coming 2 America: Quest” will feature Murphy once again and it will center around his character Prince Akeem. Talk about a royal film in the making!
LOVECRAFT COUNTRY
We received a tip on Thursday on our A-Scene Facebook group, from A-Scene Insider Julie Viana who said she spotted production trucks for wardrobe, equipment and gear on Whitlock Avenue in Marietta.
When we arrived in that area, crews were not filming on that street but were filming scenes at a nearby school, a source confirmed. The public and media were restricted from that shooting location.
Production crews, which are currently operating under the basecamp sign RP, are camped in the area of Whitlock Avenue for a few days. We've been told the production crew has been enjoying the best local food that Marietta has to offer.
We first went to Dave Poe’s BBQ and asked if any crew members ordered food from the restaurant.
The owner confirmed they did eat there, however, she pointed us to Hoboken Café on Whitlock.
Cafe owner Johnny Pizza -- who says that’s his real name -- said several crew members couldn’t resist the meatball subs served with the restaurant’s coveted gooey mozzarella.
“What are they ordering? They’re ordering our subs. We make fresh mozzarella at 10 a.m. here, so its ready when we open at 11 a.m. The meatballs are topped with the mozzarella when you ask for it. Delicious,” Pizza said. “Sausage, peppers and onions just like it was for me growing up in the Jersey Shore back in the day.”
Pizza said some of those same crew members came to his restaurant to grab more food around 4 p.m.
“They came to order sandwiches to take on the truck tonight so that they will have something to eat,” Pizza said.
Charming Hearts of Men (Basecamp sign: 1964)
We’re still looking for Kelsey Grammer, just weeks after we announced production on his upcoming movie “Charming Hearts of Men,” last month.
Grammer will play a Southern congressman in the indie movie inspired by the true events leading up to the recent Time's Up Movement.
The 64-year-old veteran actor will star in the film set during a “politically-charged era” and written by Susan DeRose, who will also helm the project.
The yellow basecamp sign for the movie is 1964.
Scenes for the movie have been shot in Madison and Athens, so far.
Netflix’s Ozark (Basecamp sign: KRAZO)
Jason Bateman’s hit Netflix series “Ozark” continues production of its third season throughout parts of Atlanta.
The show's primary filming location happens in Lake Lanier, and residents shared some of the action with The A-Scene that took place 12 miles away in Buford.
Debbie Loding shared photos of crews setting up equipment and lighting at Shadburn Ferry Road and Buford Dam Road.
While she didn’t spot any of the stars of the hit show, Loding has enjoyed watching the magic of television production unfold in front of her eyes.
Black SUV trucks that typically transport celebs were seen in one of the shots. The fictional series follows the financial conflicts of a family from Chicago to the Ozark Mountains.
Earlier this summer, we spotted Bateman's character Marty Byrd's van in Stone Mountain.
GREENLAND (Basecamp sign: GLD)
Gerard Butler stars in the upcoming disaster thriller “Greenland”. The plot follows a family’s fight for survival after a cataclysmic natural disaster.
While some scenes are being filmed in Toronto, several scenes have been filmed in parts of Georgia throughout June and July.
Production has been spotted in Marietta (West Cobb) near Dallas Highway. Basecamp signs with GLD by North Metro Church and Mt. Calvary Church.
Ghost Draft (Basecamp sign: Boneyard)
Earlier this week, we told you about a casting call for Chris Pratt's upcoming sci-fi movie "Ghost Draft".
According to the Internet Movie Database, “Ghost Draft” is about a man who is drafted to fight in a future war where the fate of humanity relies on his ability to confront his past.
Yvonne Strahovski, Betty Gilpin, and Keith Powers are all set to star in the Chris McKay-directed movie.
A release date for the project has not been revealed as of yet.
Legacies (Basecamp sign: LGC)
One of this year’s popular TV shows among teens is coming back this September, and production crews are moving fast to complete filming episodes.
A-Scene Insider Samantha Bussey Thornton said she spotted production for CW’s “Legacies” in Covington taking place in her neighborhood.
While Thornton didn’t catch any action of the stars, she did mention that crews were just setting up for scenes on Wednesday.
The snap shows crews setting up equipment and a basecamp production sign with the alias “LGC.”
“Legacies” carries on the story that originally started with “The Vampire Diaries” and in “The Originals”.
COBRA KAI (Basecamp code: CK)
Scenes for upcoming episodes of YouTube’s original series "Cobra Kai" were being filmed in the Midtown section of Atlanta Tuesday.
Vintage cars from the 1950s and 1960s will be featured in a flashback scene at the former Landmark Diner Jr. located at Cheshire Bridge Road and Lavista Road.
The 24-hour eatery closed earlier this year and has been used for other productions including NBC’s Park & Recreation. It opened in 2005.
Crews were stripping down lights and other equipment when The A-Scene arrived at the location on Wednesday.
A few residents in the area sent photos of the vintage cars to The A-Scene Facebook group.
Black Lightning
"Black Lightning" is a CW TV series based on the DC superhero by the same name.
It's about a man who had dressed as a superhero and acted as a vigilante in his younger days but left it all behind him to become a family man and a school administrator.
Events in his community not only dragged him back into his former life as a hero, but involved his entire family in the super-heroics.
The third season has been filming throughout parts of Georgia. Last week, we reported a casting call for extras that will be featured in a funeral scene.
Lauren Lake's Paternity Court
Filmed in Georgia, Judge Lauren Lake presides over highly emotional cases that lead to life-changing consequences and new beginnings. "Paternity Court" uncovers the truth 5 days a week . . . and sometimes the truth hurts.
Dynasty (Basecamp sign: CROSS EYE)
The CW series “Dynasty” is filming under the code “CROSS EYE.”
The remake of the 1980s classic ABC prime-time soap opera follows the same basic premise as the original, with two of America’s wealthiest families feuding over their fortune and their families, but with an updated storyline and cast.
The Resident (Basecamp code: TR)
A-Scene Insider Susan Wages was driving in Conyers the other day and spotted the outside of the emergency entrance to the fictional Chastain Park Memorial Hospital from Fox’s show ‘The Resident.’
The series, starring Matt Czuchry and Emily VanCamp, follows doctors who encounter not only professional but also personal difficulties in their lives.
The medical drama on Fox was picked up for a third season in early May and has started production. The majority of the first and second seasons were filmed in Conyers.
Many exterior and aerial shots of Atlanta's fictional Chastain Park Memorial Hospital, which is the central setting for the series, use the visually striking High Museum of Art to represent the outside of the modern hospital facility.
TV Line reports that David Alan Grier is joining the cast in Season 3 so we may be seeing more of him in and around metro Atlanta.
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