Covid, politics aside, Georgia filming rang up $4.1 billion in ’21 direct spending

A called boycott over Georgia’s controversial new voting law last spring could have impacted the state’s booming film and TV industry. It didn’t. Covid-19, too, could have severely kept productions away, but the state still attracted project after project. Despite some severe challenges the last few years, the industry appears to be as prolific as ever. 

Georgia film production in the 2021 fiscal year exceeded its pre-pandemic pace, setting a new record of $4.1 billion in direct spend from productions in the state, according to Marie Gordon, the Georgia Film Office’s communications director. That was, in part, due to pent-up demand and health and safety requirements for sets.

“This year, the incredible pace remains on track and studio space is growing exponentially,” she says. “For perspective, in 2010, Georgia only had one 45,000-square-foot stage facility. Today, the state is home to 2.1 million square feet in purpose-built space and 3.2 million square feet in retrofitted stage/warehouse space.”

In the coming year, the amount of purpose-built soundstage space in Georgia is expected to grow by another 1 million square feet.

The state seems to have mastered the art of filming during a pandemic. The Georgia Film Office does not handle permitting, which is handled at the municipal level. Yet Georgia reopened to filming earlier than other markets and was also the first state to provide safety guidance for projects ready to return to work, called Covid-19 practices for film and television. These safety guidelines complemented the safety protocols released by the Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee Task Force (a consortium of organizations such as Directors Guild of America and International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees), according to Gordon, to help ensure a safer workplace and reduce the spread of the virus.

Highlights of 54 films in production across Georgia

As February came to a close, 54 projects were listed on the Georgia Film Office’s website as being in production, or about to be, around the state. While at least 20 are TV reality shows, several high-profile films are in the mix. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is one of those. Directed by Ryan Coogler (who is returning along with most of the principal cast), the original Black Panther was a smash success and even nabbed a Best Picture Oscar nomination. How the team will proceed without actor Chadwick Boseman (who passed away in 2020) remains to be seen, however. The film is scheduled to be released in November.  

What’s listed as Hot Christmas on the Georgia Film Office production list is actually Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which is expected to make a bundle of money when it kicks off the 2023 summer film season next May. Director James Gunn, who was fired from the franchise after what some considered offensive Tweets but was eventually asked back, has said it’s the last go-round for this particular group of characters. Don’t bet the farm on that.  

Yet another follow-up is Halloween Ends, the final film in David Gordon Green’s trilogy based on characters from the 1978 John Carpenter classic Halloween. Jamie Lee Curtis returns as Laurie Strode to fight against Michael Myers, who sliced up pretty much the entire town of Haddonfield in last year’s Halloween Kills. It reportedly filmed recently at locations around Macon and Savannah. Look for it in October.

Closing out the sequel extravaganza is the boxing drama Creed III, starring Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors and Phylicia Rashad, with Jordan behind the camera as a director. It bows at Thanksgiving. 

As for original films, Zachary Levi is starring in Harold and the Purple Crayon, about a young boy on a magical mission with the titular crayon. It’s directed by Carlos Saldanha and expected in January 2023.  

Cinnamon is an original film from new streaming platform Tubi about a gas station attendant who gets involved with a crime, directed by Bryian Montgomery. Meanwhile, Cory Finley’s Landscape with Invisible Hand finds two teenagers trying to save their families after an alien race takes over Earth. Tiffany Haddish and Clifton Collins Jr. (of the recently released Jockey) are the headliners, and Finley is on a hot streak after the well-received Thoroughbreds and HBO’s Bad Education with Hugh Jackman. Elsewhere, there’s On Smoother Dirt, John Biord’s biography of baseball great Ernie Banks starring Oscar winner Louis Gossett Jr. (who now lives in Atlanta) and V.W. Scheich’s romantic comedy Stars Fell Again. The director’s previous project was Stars Fell on Alabama. 

A recent addition to the filming list is the new actioner Civil War, with a cast headlined by current Oscar nominee Kirsten Dunst (The Power of the Dog). Count me in enthusiastically, especially since its director is Alex Garland of the exceptional Ex Machina. 

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From “Walking Dead” to new shows, TV adds to mix

On the television series front, many returning favorites are in production. The Walking Dead is completing its final zombie-filled season — its 11th — while established faves Dynasty, The Resident, First Wives Club, Legacies, The Family Chantel, The Ms. Pat Show, Doom Patrol and Stargirl are also filming. 

A few more stand-out projects round out the list of non-reality series. The first season of The Wonder Years (based on the 1988 ABC series) is wrapping up its 22-episode run, with Lee Daniels and original star Fred Savage as two of the producers. It debuted on ABC back it September.

Finally, for those who may have spotted Oscar winner Susan Sarandon in Atlanta or Gainesville, she has turned to TV in the Fox series Monarch, a country-music drama. Set to air early this year, it has been rescheduled for the fall — and looks like it could be good trashy fun.

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Jim Farmer covers theater and film for ArtsATL. A graduate of the University of Georgia, he has written about the arts for 30-plus years. Jim is the festival director of Out on Film, Atlanta’s LGBTQ film festival. He lives in Avondale Estates with his husband, Craig, and dog Douglas.