Macon celebrating a busy year on movie, TV screens

MACON, Ga. - It's been a busy year at the movies — and on television — for the city of Macon.

Hollywood had practically ignored central Georgia's largest city for two years prior to 2019. But its onscreen fortunes took a big upturn in the past 12 months.

Five notable TV and movie productions filmed scenes in Macon this past year.

A parkway and a former chicken plant in town were used as filming locations for the recently released “Zombieland: Double Tap.” A stretch of downtown Macon became a stand-in for 1930s New York for the HBO superhero series “Watchmen,” while other scenes were filmed at the historic Douglas Theater.

And while audiences will have to wait until May to see the results, scenes from Marvel's upcoming “Black Widow” movie were filmed in October at downtown Macon's century-old Terminal Station.

Film producers are increasingly taking notice of Macon in part because of its uniqueness and architecture as well as its proximity to Atlanta, said Aaron Buzza of the Macon Film Commission.

“More and more I hear somebody from a previous project mention that they had a really good experience here in Macon,” Buzza told The Telegraph of Macon. “People are welcoming. It’s something that is unique and we’re obviously excited about, but at the same time, it’s something that everybody has approached in a really positive way.”

Rounding out Macon's big year onscreen were the Netflix movie “Hillbilly Elegy,” which was filmed over the summer, and an unidentified HBO project that began shooting in Macon during November.

According to the Georgia Department of Economic Development, a total of 399 film productions used locations in Georgia during the 2019 fiscal year that ended June 30. The agency says those productions invested $2.9 billion in the state.