What’s filming in Atlanta now? Stranger Things, Boss Level, Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets; plus SNL gets an Atlanta host

Keep an eye out for the Stranger Things kids, Mel Gibson, Naomi Watts, Mark Wahlberg, Jack Black, and Jason Bateman
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What's filming in Atlanta now?
A sign for Kevin Hart’s Night School was spotted outside the Gold Room club on April 3.

Photograph by Myrydd Wells

We’re right in the thick of the spring production season here in Atlanta. It’s one the busiest times in the Hollywood of the South, with numerous film and television shows in the middle of production. As usual, it’s hard to go the month without seeing a few mysterious production signs, basecamps, or even outdoor sets. Here’s our guide to what filmed in April.

Netflix’s powerhouse smash hit Stranger Things (production code: McFly) recently began production on its third season. Even though it’s only been a little over a week, Netflix has already released a teaser trailer. Keep an eye out for McFly signs and Hawkins, Indiana set dressings in the coming months.

New in April, Mel Gibson, Frank Grillo, Will Sasso, and Naomi Watts will star in the science-fiction/action thriller, Boss Level (250). The film follows a retired soldier trapped in a Groundhog Day-esque loop of the last day of his life. We saw Boss Level signs downtown between April 10 and 12. After that, the film’s second unit (the team dedicated to capturing certain stunts, b-roll, and more generic shots) did some work near MARTA’s Oakland City Staiton on April 17. On the 21st, production was back downtown, near the Georgia Aquarium. Crews worked at Pullman Yard the next day, and signs were seen off of I-85 just OTP on April 24. On the 25th, the movie was again downtown, and on the 27th, they were in Decatur.

Another new production, Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets (DR BIRDS), has set up shop in the greater Atlanta area. Based on the YA novel by Evan Roskos, Dr. Bird’s is about a sixteen-year-old boy suffering from anxiety and depression. He’s seeing a unorthodox therapist: the titular Dr. Bird, an imaginary giant pigeon. On April 16, filming took place in Palmetto. Additional signs were spotted nearby in Chattahoochee Hills. Between April 23 and 25, production moved to Newnan, shooting in the square. On the 30th, crews returned to Palmetto. Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets stars Taylor Russell, Jason Isaacs, and Brian Cox.

Back from last month, Mark Wahlberg’s and Rose Byrne’s comedy, Instant Family (IF) continued shooting in April. In early April, production set up shop at Kell High School in Marietta while students were away on spring break. Between April 8 and 10, filming took place in Dunwoody, with signs spotted at Hammond Drive and Perimeter Center Parkway. Also on the 10th, a scene was shot in Lawrenceville. Most recently, on April 25, we saw IF working at Six Flags Over Georgia.

BET’s The Bobby Brown Story (JCE) continued filming as well. Signs were placed off of I-85’s Exit 126 on April 3. On the 5th, a scene was shot at the old Douglasville jail. Sporadically between April 6 and April 13, production was spotted in downtown Atlanta.

BounceTV’s Saints & Sinners (SSC) is currently shooting its third season. The show follows the congregation of Southern Baptist church in Georgia, where there’s a dark side of crime, lust, and greed. The series stars Clifton Powell, Vanessa Bell Calloway, and Keith Robinson. On April 10, signs were plopped along the intersection of Angier Avenue and Boulevard in Old Fourth Ward. On the 19th, a basecamp was set up off of Chamblee Dunwoody Road in Dunwoody.

Jack Black’s Goosebumps: Slappy Halloween (GUMMY) was spotted again this month, starting on April 4 in East Atlanta. Between the 6th and the 18th, the production filmed a massive amount of trick-or-treating scenes in Buckhead. (Interestingly enough, to get around Georgia’s child work restrictions for actors, the film put out casting calls for men and women under 5’3” to portray children in costume.) On April 24, signs were placed on Moreland Avenue, and most recently, on April 25, filming took place downtown.

Oprah’s Love Is_ (LOVE) had a few sighting this month as well. On March 30 the series filmed in Conyers. April 6 took filming to Pinewood Atlanta Studios. Between the 9th and 10th, crews shot in Poncy-Highlands, filming at a bar and at the Plaza Theatre. Between the 16th and 17th, production returned to Pinewood.

Netflix’s Ozark (BCP) had a busy month. The Jason Bateman-led series started April with signs posted on McEver Road for filming near Lake Lanier. Between the 9th and the 11th, crews were in Milton. On April 16, a scene was shot in Morrow. The next day, the show filmed in Tucker. April 19 brought production to Norcross. Immediately after, crews returned to the Blue Cat Lodge set on the shores of Lake Allatoona. More recently, signs were spotted in Peachtree Corners on April 23, and in Norcross on April 24.

There were also a good number of reshoots going on this month. The Hate U Give, starring K.J. Apa, Amandla Stenberg, and Regina Hall, shot downtown on April 6 and April 8. On April 11, the film shot at Augustine’s in Grant Park. Boy Erased (UFI), starring Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe, was in Decatur between the 24th and 26th. Kevin Hart’s Night School (GED) was spotted at the Gold Room in Buckhead on April 3. Millie Bobby Brown’s and Sally Hawkins’s Godzilla: King of Monsters (FATHOM) also reshot a scene on April 14.

Also this month, we saw signs for Oprah’s Greenleaf (GL) at I-85 and Jimmy Carter Boulevard. Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House (HHH) had a sign up on April 25 near Lakewood Amphitheatre. Only (ONLY) posted signs on Cochran Mill Road in Chattahoochee Hills on March 31. Dinner For Two (DHP) was spotted on April 11 at Stone Mountain Park.

And finally this month, don’t forget to catch Atlanta’s (both of the city and the show) Donald Glover as he hosts Saturday Night Live on May 5. The multi-talented Glover will be on double duty, both as the host and the musical guest. That will put him in rare company along with Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, and just a few others.

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