Georgia Film News:

Written by Bo Shurling

Aaron Eckhart will portray original Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson opposite Vera Farmiga (Safe House, Up in the Air) as Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie in The Drummer, slated to film this summer in the Savannah area in addition to California locales. Wilson and McVie were involved in a passionate but turbulent relationship in the years before his accidental, alcohol-related drowning in 1983. Randall Miller (Bottle Shock) penned the script and will direct the film, which will also trace Wilson’s relationship with his father and brothers, his work on his solo album, Pacific Ocean Blue, and his descent into addiction. No Good Deed, (alternate title: The Knowing) a Screen Gems feature film, is preparing for an April 20th-May 16th shoot in Atlanta. Atlantans Rob Hardy and Will Packer (Stomp the Yard, Takers) are behind the project via their Rainforest Films company, with Taraji P. Henson (Hustle and Flow, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, CBS’s Person of Interest) said to be starring. The Killing Season wraps March 9th. In addition to the previously reported sites of Black Rock State Park and Tallulah Gorge, filming also took place at Sweetwater Creek State Park. There have been multiple sightings of star John Travolta (not so much for his co-star Robert DeNiro) and reports of him signing autographs for fans near various shooting locations. Further proving that he may be as cool as Vincent Vega, Travolta donated a G-2 Gulfstream executive jet to Warner Robins’ Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame at the Museum of Aviation. The jet, donated in honor of the actor’s son Jett who passed away in 2009, will go on display in April. The start date for Fourth and a Longshot, once slated to begin shooting here on February 15th as reported in this column last month, has been postponed with no new date yet. John Goodman, who recently finished filming here on Flight along with Denzel Washington, will return in March as a part of the cast of the Clint Eastwood flick Trouble with the Curve, which begins shooting March 5th. Also recently added to the cast are Eastwood’s son Scott and Justin Timberlake. According to the Gainesville Times, part of the movie is slated to be filmed at the Amicalola Lodge on Highway 53 in Dawsonville – not to be confused with the Lodge in Amicalola Falls State Park. Remodeling on the motel for scenes began in February. The inn’s owner Pravin Patel said that producers also told him scenes would be filmed in Athens and Macon. Also returning to Georgia for a new project is Jane Lynch who was here last year for the Farrelly Brothers' The Three Stooges.  She’ll star in A.C.O.D (Adult Children of Divorce), shooting March 12th through April 14th…And welcome back Kim Kardashian, who filmed Tyler Perry’s Marriage Counselor last year, returning to the metro-Atlanta area for a role on Drop Dead Diva. Kevin Williamson, creator of The Vampire Diaries (currently filming in Georgia through April 3rd) is set to shoot an untitled pilot for Fox starring Kevin Bacon here. There is no start date yet. Bacon plays former FBI agent Ryan Hardy, who’s reactivated after a former serial killer nemesis (played by James Purefoy) escapes and leads a cult of serial killers assembled during his prison time. Shawn Ashmore and Valorie Curry are also slated to star in the thriller. Although it is called The Preacher Wives, I can’t muster a Hallelujah for any reality show with wife or wives in the title. As a further portent of evil, it’s the latest project from TLC and True Entertainment, the producers of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. The new offering will follow the “outspoken ladies who work to ensure that their churches run as smooth as Southern-churned butter.” While Atlanta has been confirmed as the location, no shoot dates were known at press time. I could give a huge “Amen” to an Animal Planet show called The Real Wives of (fill in the blank) Take on Nature’s Fiercest Predators Barehanded… Studio Lambert is filming “The Untitled Neighborhood Project” (a.k.a. “The Neighbor Show” a.k.a. the “It Takes a Village” Project) for the OWN network in Atlanta from April 25th thru June 16th. The reality show will document “parents and teens at odds with each other.” Think your fucked up family qualifies? Send in your story to familycasting@studiolambert.com. The Savannah Film Office has cryptically reported that CMT is producing a reality series in the city through mid-March. However the only other news from the Film Office is “Due to the nature of the show, they have asked us not to release details at this time… They have no casting needs at this time. We will post publicity contact info when it becomes available.” Keep a lookout on the office’s webpage for more details, or not… Producers for the USA network’s Royal Pains are eying the Georgia coast as a filming location for an upcoming episode. According to The Brunswick News, it’s a tossup between Glynn County and St. Marys. According to deadline.com, Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil, the creators of BET’s The Game have been given a pilot order for Single Black Female, an hour-long show that “chronicles the work and family life of an African-American woman who is the host of a popular Atlanta-based talk show.” No Atlanta start date for the pilot was available at press time. VH1'S Love and Hip Hop Atlanta is slated to shoot 12 episodes in Atlanta. The show is currently in pre-production now. Shoot dates are not yet official. For better or worse, Tyler Perry has received an additional order for 35 episodes of his latest sitcom, Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse, from TBS.