About as far
from an LA soundstage as you can get, Hollywood is regularly choosing Georgia
as a backdrop for a number of reasons besides from just cheap film permits. Offering
a number of settings from historic Victorian towns like Savannah to the urban
sprawl of Atlanta which was home to just about every Tyler Perry film ever
made, a number of other blockbusters were shot in the Peach State– even ones
that may surprise you like Sweet Home
Alabama (filmed in Taliaferro County).
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
While Hunger Games fan tours and Katniss practice can
be found in Ashville, North Carolina, the first half of the blockbuster movie’s
conclusion was actually shot in metro Atlanta. Several Atlanta landmarks are
visible in the background, including the Swan House, Georgia World Congress
Center, Goat Farm Arts Center, and the Marriott Marquis hotel.
The Internship (2013)
Made to look like Silicon Valley and the Googleplex, The Vince Vaughn-Owen
Wilson comedy was actually shot on the Georgia Tech campus in Midtown and
downtown Atlanta. Do we sense an East Coast tech boom arising?
Trouble With the Curve (2012)
Starring Clint Eastwood as an Atlanta Braves scout, Turner Field made it’s glorious film debut playing itself. With Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake as supporting cast, A-Town was looking hot.
Footloose (2011)
The
remake of 1984's classic "Footloose," was shot in Georgia, despite
writer/director Craig Brewer's preference for Memphis, Tennessee. You can see
the Starlight Drive-in, Cowboys in Kennesaw and Senoia Raceway in the film.
The Blind Side (2009)
Despite being based on a troubled high school Tennessee football player
rallying to play at Old Miss, the Academy Award nominated film was also shot in
Atlanta. Bullock took home an Oscar for her performance.
Forrest Gump (1994)
Tom Hanks’s bus stop scene took place at Chippewa Square in Savannah
where he made his famous proclamation, “Life is like a box of chocolates.” Don't
expect to recreate the scene on your next visit though because the bench was just
a prop that can be seen in the Savannah History Museum.
Contagion (2011)
While
most of the thriller was filmed in Chicago, a few exterior scenes were shot at
the real CDC campus in Atlanta (as much as they could given it’s a strictly
quarantined federal facility).