Photograph by Matt Walljasper
Film production blossoms in May, and right now, you can’t drive through Atlanta without encountering at least one yellow filming sign. Although figuring out what you saw can be difficult at best, we’ve done the heavy lifting and found out what’s shooting where, as well as what those signs mean. This month—everything. Everything, apparently, is shooting in Atlanta.
Felt (production code: BP), starring Liam Neeson, Maika Monroe, and Diane Lane, has been busy all throughout metro Atlanta. The film tells the story of Mark Felt, aka “Deep Throat” of the infamous Watergate scandal. We first saw signs and a basecamp at Mount Moriah Church on Brockett Road in Tucker on April 28. In early May, another basecamp was spotted at Clairmont Hills Baptist Church. Crews filmed on May 4 near the Cobb Galleria before returning to North Druid Hills on May 9. The next week, filming took place in Virginia Highlands and at the Raddison hotel on South Marietta Parkway. Most recently, a basecamp was set up on May 20 behind the old Georgia Archives building on Capitol Avenue.
Photograph by Matt Walljasper
Donald Glover’s FX series, Atlanta (MiniM), has been shooting for quite some time, but we’ve only recently spotted it in the wild. On April 26, signs were spotted near Club Rio in Marietta. That same day, we found more at the Atlanta Civic Center. Those were up until April 28. After that, crews for Atlanta were spotted near Joseph E. Boone Boulevard and W Lake Drive. On May 4, Atlanta was back in Marietta, again at Club Rio. The series will focus on two cousins in the local rap scene. It should also poke fun at the city itself, since Glover grew up in Stone Mountain.
The next installment in the Fast and the Furious series, Fast 8, is (partially) shooting in Atlanta, when they’re not working in Cleveland or Cuba, or anywhere else for that matter. Day one of Atlanta filming was May 20, when we spotted a set just across from Krog Street Market. There were no signs nearby, so we can only speculate on the code. We do know that Charlize Theron is playing a villain named Cipher and that CIPHER signs were placed near Atlanta Filmworks last week. Could this be a connection, or simply a coincidence? When we know, you’ll be the first to find out.
Photograph by Matt Walljasper
Nicolas Cage has been in town for his new film, Vengeance: A Love Story (VALS). The film also stars Anna Hutchison and is based on the novella, Rape: A Love Story, written by Joyce Carol Oates. Cage plays a Gulf War veteran-turned-police officer who seeks retribution against Hutchison’s attackers. VALS signs were plopped on 14th and Spring Streets on April 22. On May 6, more signs were spotted at Moreland and Ponce De Leon Avenues. The following weekend, crews filmed downtown at the Fulton County courthouse, and this past Friday, filming took place in Alpharetta.
William H. Macy is currently directing Krystal (OGBURN) in Atlanta. Rosario Dawson, John Leguizamo, Kathy Bates, Felicity Huffman, and Atlanta-native T.I. all have roles in this story of a man sheltered by illness who meets a girl with an extremely troubled past. We saw a lot of filming in McDounough during the first weeks of May, and more recently in Jonesboro and Fayettevile. Look for more on this film next month.
We’ve finally spotted Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 (LEVEL UP) outside the confines of Pinewood Studios. The Chris Pratt-led Marvel movie filmed in Stone Mountain off of Memorial Drive on April 26 and at a home off of Sullivan Road in College Park on May 17.
Baby Driver (MILES) continued to film this month, with signs posted April 23 off of I-985’s exit 22 in Gainsville. On April 27, crews filmed downtown near Peachtree Center, with a basecamp aptly nearby on Peachtree Center Avenue. Early May took filming to the Atlanta Civic Center, and on May 6 and 7, Goodfellas Pizza was used as a location.
Our other perennial production, Hidden Figures (ROCKO) spent the waning days of April in North Decatur, then moved to Memorial Drive on May 3. In mid-May, filming took place off of Austell Road in Marietta.
Bill O’Reilly’s Killing Reagan (RAWHIDE) is being made into a TV-movie for National Geographic. Filming started this weekend near Emory’s Briarcliff campus. A remake of the 1990 psychological horror film Jacob’s Ladder (JL) is gearing up as well. Export more on these projects next month.
Hulu’s When the Street Lights Go On (LIGHTS) pilot filmed in North Druid Hills on April 29 through the 30th. Jennifer Anniston’s Office Christmas Party (OCP) spent large portions of May in Hiram. Jon Hamm and Zack Galifianakis’s Keeping Up with the Joneses (SCORPION) shot a few reshoots on a soundstage off of Chattahoochee Avenue in late April. AMC’s Halt and Catch Fire (HCF) was in Dunwoody on May 11.
And finally this month, The Walking Dead (SF) has resumed filming for the upcoming seventh season. On May 18, they shot near the Atlanta Motor Speedway. The next day, Highway 20 in Hampton was closed from King Road to Bear Creek Boulevard for the show. Security is extremely tight right now due to the events of last season’s finale.
@ATLWOOD411 @Ber_Girl May 18, 2016, Atlanta Motor Speedway Base Camp for The Walking Dead. pic.twitter.com/yh7yMbQUy4
— Tina Chesser (@glamgal74) May 19, 2016
Unfortunately, no, we still don’t know who got whacked with Negan’s bat, but we do know that that Norman Reedus and Steven Yeun were recently spotted in Peachtree City helping out after they witnessed a car crash. Does that mean that Glenn and Daryl are safe? I’m not convinced. Hollywood is known to run counter-intelligence (I’ve heard a story that during The Sopranos, HBO filmed Tony getting shot every season) and this just seems a little too neat and tidy. We’ll just have to wait until October to see if my tinfoil hat was well-advised.
