Photograph by Matt Walljasper
Summer filming is well underway in Atlanta, and no amount of rain seems to be slowing it down. There are some really interesting projects gracing our city this month, so let’s get right to it: Here’s what we saw, where we saw it, and how you can figure out what’s filming in Atlanta.
As if Stranger Things, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Dragon Con weren’t enough to put Atlanta on the map as a pop culture institution, a new HBO series pilot might just solidify our placement for good. Watchmen (production code: CHAR), based on Alan Moore’s masterfully acclaimed graphic novel, began production in Georgia in early June. Starring Regina King, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, Louis Gossett Jr., Adelaide Clemens, and Andrew Howard, the series promises to turn from source material. Variety calls it “a new story in the same world with new characters.” We first spotted Watchmen, which is going under the working title “Brooklyn,” with a basecamp set up at Bridgeport Church at Toco Hills on June 1. Signs were spotted on the 2nd along Ponce De Leon Avenue in Midtown. After working in downtown Atlanta, additional filming took place in Macon between June 5 and 6. Crews were also spotted in Fayetteville, Newnan, and Palmetto during the next week. Between June 13 and 15, the pilot was in Brooks, and on the 18th and 19th, it was back in downtown. On June 20, Watchmen shot in a business park in Tucker, and since then, the show’s been spotted in Palmetto once more on the 22nd and the 25th.
Clint Eastwood has returned to direct another film in Atlanta. The Mule (KIKI) is based upon the true story about Leo Sharp, a World War II vet who became a courier for a Mexican drug cartel. Eastwood is also acting in this movie, along with Bradley Cooper, Dianne Wiest, Michael Peña, and Laurence Fishburne. The Mule began production on June 4 in Augusta. After finishing a stint there until June 12, it moved to the Atlanta metro area. Between June 13 and 14, scenes were filmed in Jonesboro. For the next three days, crews moved over to McDonough, taking over a hotel on the corner of GA 155 and King Mill Road. On the 18th, filming was back in Jonesboro. Crews went to Douglasville on the 19th and Tucker on the 20th. From June 21 to the 22nd, The Mule has been up in Norcross, using Norcross High School as a basecamp while scenes were shot at a nearby motel. On the 26th, crews worked out of East Atlanta Village.
@FilmingInGA @ATLWOOD411 @olv any idea what’s filming in Norcross, GA? That motel sign is fake. pic.twitter.com/NuIVltXXJZ
— Amy Voss (@AmyV0ss) June 21, 2018
Hulu has worked its way into Atlanta, filming a new pilot, Kansas City (K.C.). Don’t expect a cheerful story here; let me remind you this is the network that green-lit The Handmaid’s Tale. Nope, Kansas City is about a near future where the divide between liberals and conservatives has gotten so bad that a Berlin Wall-style barrier has been erected to divide the city. K.C. first cropped up in Douglasville at New Manchester High School on June 4. We also spotted signs at the corner of Boulevard and East Avenue on June 6. Crews worked at Emory’s Briarcliff campus on June 10. On the 12th, the production moved out to Tyrone.
Dave Bautista’s fish-out-of-water police comedy Stuber (STU) was back for more filming in June. On the 7th, filming took place at Third Rail Studios in Doraville. Signs were placed along Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. Between the 12th and the 14th, the production worked out of downtown. It was next spotted in Midtown on June 18 and 19. Crews then moved up to Flowery Branch for the next two days, before coming to Kennesaw on June 25. The next day, they were in Stone Mountain.
Stranger Things (PCF7/MCFLY/1080/BLK45) only had a few sightings in June. Don’t worry though—Netflix shows tend to stick around for a few months. Really, aside from signage up at EUE/Screen Gems, the only place we saw evidence of filming was in Stone Mountain on the 18th and the 20th. And while production might have been awfully quiet this month, David Harbour’s shirt was not.
David Harbour @DavidKHarbour | On set filming Stranger Things Season 3 (June 11) #StrangerThings #StrangerThings3 https://t.co/UfRgfLx2vJ pic.twitter.com/LmXiaTPuQa
— Hawkins Things (@hawkins_things) June 12, 2018
Wendi Mclendon-Covey and Taraji P. Henson also were back in June for What Men Want (WMW). On the 7th, a basecamp was set up downtown in the Gulch. On June 10, a scene was shot in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The next day, crews moved to Midtown. June 12 took production to East Point, and on the 15th, signs were placed along Howell Mill Road north of Midtown. Most recently, additional signs were plopped near the Cotton Mill Lofts on June 22.
Last month we mentioned that FOX’s The Gifted (HVN) started production on its second season on May 30. After spending that day in Forest Park, the X-Men-universe series was spotted in Midtown along 15th Street on June 12. Two days later, filming took place in the shadow of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. On the 15th, crews were in Conyers. On June 25, the show was back in College Park.
Also this month, IFC’s Brockmire (WTM) was spotted in Dunwoody between June 14 and 18. Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (GUMMY) got a title change and was spotted in Covington on June 5. Oprah’s Greenleaf (GL) shot at a home on Northside Drive on the 1st. FOX’s Dynasty (CROSSEYE) had signs up at Peachtree and Pine Streets on June 3. Night School (GED) did a few more reshoots, with signs spotted on Moore’s Mill Road on June 16. The Walking Dead (SF) was in Griffin on the 15th and Newnan on the 21st. Stan Against Evil (RADICAL MEDIA) filmed at the old Newnan hospital on June 19.
We’ve also got some new trailers for Atlanta-filmed movies. Take a look at The Hate U Give, First Man, and Night School.
And finally this month: yesterday our friends over at Eater Atlanta disappointed local pizza enthusiasts by breaking that a seemingly new pizzeria in East Atlanta Village, Clarke Pizza Co., was actually just a film set. We did some digging and found out it was for The Mule, so alas, those looking for cheesy goodness won’t find it here unless craft services has a sense of irony. But, if the crew wants to keep it open after production wraps, we won’t complain.
