Turner Field, the beloved home of the Atlanta Braves just scored its first starring role as itself in the new comedy “The Change-Up” currently shooting in the city. What’s more, you’re invited to watch and participate.
This Saturday, November 6, rain or shine, “Wedding Crashers” director David Dobkin will turn Turner Field into a movie set for the Ryan Reynolds/Jason Bateman buddy comedy beginning at 12:30 p.m. But to pull off the scene also featuring “House” actress Olivia Wilde, he needs your help.
The film centers on a stable married guy (Bateman) and his slacker best friend (Reynolds) who accidentally swap bodies and lives after wishing for the other’s seemingly more idyllic existence.
“This is definitely one of the craziest scripts I’ve ever directed,” Dobkin told Intel. “Basically, these two friends go out to a Braves game and [pee] into a wishing well. Only they don’t know it’s a wishing well and they wake up in each other’s bodies.”
Unlike a lot of the major motion pictures currently being shot in and around Atlanta, Dobkin has cast Atlanta as itself in the flick.
“The script was originally set in Los Angeles,” he says. “But once we scouted Atlanta, we knew we wanted to capture the mystique of this city. There’s just something more authentic. Unlike a lot of other cities, Atlanta has welcomed us and expressed an interest in working with us on the shoot. We feel like we’re actually wanted here. You don’t always get that, believe me!”
Other landmarks playing themselves in the film: The big Coca-Cola signage downtown, Broad Street, The Georgia Aquarium, Abattoir restaurant in West Midtown and Ecco restaurant in Midtown.
In order to pull off the scene, thousands of extras will be needed. Dobkin says he needs folks of all ages, ethnicities and sizes. Just dress as you would for any Braves game.
Extras need to register in advance at this website. Lunch and parking will be provided as well. For each extra who shows up, the filmmakers will donate $5 to the Atlanta Braves Foundation as well.
As for the off-set male bonding between Bateman and Reynolds at restaurants including Aria we’ve chronicled, Dobkin says it’s for real.
“Jason and Ryan have been pals for years,” he explains. “Because they’re good friends off screen, they’ve got great chemistry on screen. It’s been a lot of fun making this so far.”
Wilde, meanwhile, on leave from her hit Fox drama will also get added exposure later this fall via the release of Disney’s upcoming “Tron: Legacy.”
Look for “The Change-Up” to wrap production by the end of the year.
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