As fall is upon us, I’m looking forward to seeing shades of yellow and red. Of course, I’m talking about production signs. Assuming your street isn’t currently blocked by a craft services truck or whatever mayhem is left over from Music Midtown, grab your camera and look out for these productions:
Marvel’s Ant-Man, starring Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, and Corey Stoll, has moved from San Francisco to the newly built Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Fayette County. No word yet on any intown location shoots or production codes, but I do know that the film shot under “Bigfoot” in the Bay Area. If you see that on a sign, it’s a safe bet you’re near a location for Ant-Man. And while we’re talking about Disney/Marvel, it’s also been announced that the third installment of the Captain America franchise will film here early next year.
Those of you who have seen “Stretch 29” signs will be interested to learn they point to the remake/sequel of Vacation. This time around, Ed Helms plays the grown-up Rusty Griswold, one of the Griswold children from the National Lampoon classics. The film also stars Christina Applegate and Chris Hemsworth. Filming has taken place on Chamblee Tucker Road and the Olympic Flame Restaurant on Marietta Boulevard. Signs were spotted last Friday on 14th Street near Howell Mill Road. Production just started last week, so you’ll see this one in town for a while. I’ll bet the Ferrari girl scene might go a bit differently on the Perimeter, however.
Fox’s new teen dramedy Red Band Society has been shooting in Atlanta for the past two months. The ensemble cast, led by Academy-Award-winning actress Octavia Spencer and Dave Annable, has been shooting in Midtown, mostly at the Woodruff Arts Center under the name “Ocean.” Reviews are hit and miss for the show, which chronicles the experiences of telegenic teens in the cancer ward of a teaching hospital, so it’s uncertain if we’ll see more shooting in the coming months.
A new show, Powers, is shooting for the PlayStation Network, which streams on PlayStation 3 and 4 gaming consoles. The show is based on the graphic novel of the same name and stars Sharlto Copley and Susan Heyward as police officers working cases involving superpowers. The production has been filming under “Sic’Em” near the Woodruff Arts Center, around Oglethorpe University, and at a private residence on Woodrow Way.
A few other productions have been shooting around town aside from these juggernauts. Signs for VH1’s Hindsight (20/20) were spotted near Spring Street and 4th Street on September 12, Single Ladies (SL) was shooting at Piedmont and Paces Ferry a few weeks ago, and The Walking Dead (SF) was shooting in Williamson and Newnan. I saw Constantine (1159) downtown near Centennial Olympic Park and have seen evidence for Ride Along 2 (RA2) in Downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead over the last few weeks. Insurgent (Mineral) finished up some reshoots near Miami Circle last week and is moving out of the city. On Friday, ABC’s Resurrection (FTP) was filming off of North Decatur Road, and on Saturday, they were shooting in Stone Mountain.
We all know by now that those signs for “Star Wars 7” were an elaborate hoax, but unless you attended Dragon Con, you may have missed what could have been the prankster’s second act. Signs for “Serenity 2” were posted just outside of the Marriott Marquis. Serenity and its predecessor Firefly are Joss Whedon-created sci-fi cult hits, and I know many Dragon Con attendees would love to see a sequel; Adam Baldwin and Ron Glass, both actors from the franchise, were guests of the convention, after all. Sadly, unless you can get star Nathan Fillion away from Castle and Joss Whedon away from Avengers: Age of Ultron, I don’t think this one will happen. But if it does ever get made, I do whole-heartedly suggest it be made in Georgia. There is a character named Jayne Cobb, and he is, according to the show, the hero of Canton.