Scott Waugh's "Need for Speed" to film in Macon, Rome

The cast of "Need for Speed" clockwise from top left: Aaron Paul, Dakota Johnson,
Ramon Rodriguez, Michael Keaton, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots

Director Scott Waugh's adaptation of the popular video game franchise "Need for Speed" will begin filming in Macon in mid-April. The project's screenwriter, John Gatins, mentioned the possibility of the film shooting in Georgia last fall when he was in Savannah promoting another Georgia production, "Flight." Gatins accepted the Savannah Film Festival Spotlight Award for his work on "Flight" and had great things to say about working in Georgia. Two hundred cast and crew members are expected to travel to Macon for the production.

Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Dakota Johnson, Michael Keaton, Imogen Poots, Ramon Rodriguez, Kid Cudi and Rami Malek comprise the principal cast of the film. Location scouting has taken place throughout downtown Macon and it is expected that casting calls for extras will occur closer to production kickoff. 

Recent projects to film in Macon include the Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake baseball hit, "Trouble with the Curve," and upcoming Jackie Robinson biopic, "42," which will be released next month.

Filming will also take place in Rome at the Historic Myrtle Hill Cemetery in June.

Around town for the 2012 Savannah Film Festival

The Trustees Theatre marquee.

It's been nearly two months since the Savannah Film Festival took place, but many of the films that screened there are just now hitting cinema screens, keeping memories of Georgia's most prestigious film festival afresh. Oscar contenders like "Silver Linings Playbook," "Flight," "Rust & Bone" and "Amour" all played the festival and stars like John Goodman, Diane Lane, Michelle Monaghan, James Gandolfini, Gabourey Sidibe, Matt Dillon and Stan Lee all graced us with their presence this year. It was a great eight days. Here are some pictures I shot during the festival with some miscellaneous shots from around town thrown in.

Savannah: "Flight" (***½)

Bruce Greenwood, Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle star in "Flight"

Being able to consistently open films to big numbers at the box office takes a special kind of star-power. Denzel Washington has been a box office draw for years, while consistently putting forward intense, focused performances and routinely earning awards. Few people in the industry can match his impressive record. "Flight" gives us what Denzel does best, a mesmerizing performance in a slick Hollywood production. Except this production was shot entirely and takes place in Atlanta.

"Flight" opened nationwide last weekend, but I was able to check it out on October 28th at the Savannah Film Festival. Supporting star John Goodman and screenwriter John Gatins were in town for the festival, being honored with an Outstanding Achievement in Cinema Award and a Spotlight Award, respectively. A Q&A with the pair shed some light on the process of getting "Flight" out of Gatins' head and onto the big screen.

The Savannah Film Festival mystery Director's Choice screening

Crowds gather outside the Trustees Theatre on Broughton Street

One of the most anticipated events at the Savannah Film Festival each year is the Director's Choice screening, a surprise film that is only announced as it lights up the screen at the Trustees Theatre. Last year, "The Muppets" had its world premiere as the Director's Choice film. Doing some research, I learned that plenty of high profile films have filled the slot in years past. 

In 2010, Robert Redford's Savannah-filmed "The Conspirator" was screened. Jason Reitman's "Up in the Air" surprised on the big screen in 2009. There wasn't a director's choice film for 2008, but Oscar-nominated animated film "Persepolis" was the chosen selection in 2007. Pedro Almodovar's "Volver" held the honors in 2006, with Woody Allen's "Match Point" selected in 2005.

What is the chosen film this year? It's anyone's guess! Murmurings of "Lincoln," "Hitchcock" and "Life of Pi" can be heard around town. After last year's family-friendly fare, Disney's "Wreck-It Ralph" has also been mentioned. Will it be one of the film's I mentioned before the festival's lineup was announced? "Silver Linings Playbook," "Flight," "Quartet," "Rust & Bone," The Sapphires" and "Amour" were all correct guesses.

Follow us on Twitter to find out as soon as the projector starts to roll!

Diane Lane, Matt Dillon, Michelle Monaghan among honorees at 2012 Savannah Film Festival

The 2012 Savannah Film Festival honorees clockwise from top left:
Diane Lane, Matt Dillon, Geoffrey Fletcher, Michelle Monaghan

No stranger to big Hollywood names, the Savannah Film Festival looks to keep business as usual this year. Oscar nominees Diane Lane and Matt Dillon will both receive Outstanding Achievement in Cinema Awards at this year's festival. You might recall that the two shared the big screen together several times in the 1980s, in "The Outsiders," "Rumble Fish" and "The Big Town."

Michelle Monaghan, who has starred in films such as "Source Code," "Gone Baby Gone," "Eagle Eye" and "Mission: Impossible III," will receive the Spotlight Award when her film "Tomorrow You're Gone" screens Friday, November 2nd. Willem Dafoe and Stephen Dorff also appear in the film.

Georgia's film industry: A $3.1 billion dollar behemoth

Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake on the set of "Trouble with the Curve" in Athens

From July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012, a record $3.1 billion dollars was generated by Georgia-lensed films, television series, commercials and music videos. This is a rise of nearly 30% over 2011's fiscal year, which held the previous record.

A stunning 333 productions were filmed in Georgia during FY2012, many of which you have already seen hit theater screens or will see in the coming months. Georgia's already robust showing at cinemas this year includes releases like "Joyful Noise," "Wanderlust," "The Three Stooges," "What to Expect When You're Expecting," "The Watch," "The Odd Life of Timothy Green," "Lawless" and "Trouble with the Curve."

14 films we might see at the 2012 Savannah Film Festival

Last year, the Savannah Film Festival marked both my first visit to the event and the first festival I've covered while writing for Reel Georgia. Thank you for following me around the state for an entire year!

I had a phenomenal experience in Savannah last year, but having only attended once, I've had to do a bit of research to learn the tastes and evolution of the festival over the years. This year marks the 15th anniversary for Georgia's most glamorous festival, and I think they'll create quite the spectacle.

I'll admit it, 14 is a pretty high number for a festival wishlist. I don't think we will see all of these films make the cut, but I think all of them would fit in just fine as official selections. (And just for the record, it would be a dream if Terrence Malick's "To the Wonder" was featured, but I don't want to get my hopes up.)

Find out which films have pinged my radar after the jump!

11/15 Star spotting: Billy Crystal, Denzel Washington, Marisa Tomei

Billy Crystal, Marisa Tomei and Bette Midler have been seen all over Atlanta for a few weeks now, filming family comedy, "Parental Guidance." Filming has taken place at Piedmont Park, Perimeter Mall and Cobb Energy Centre as well as various sites throughout Atlanta, Dunwoody and Johns Creek. Tomei in particular has been seen shopping and dining around town when not shooting.

Denzel Washington is currently filming Robert Zemeckis' new project "Flight" throughout Buckhead and Sandy Springs. John Goodman has also been spotted around town, while we have yet to hear anything about co-stars Don Cheadle and Melissa Leo.

Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill and Vince Vaughn have been filming "The Watch" on location in Marietta and Smyrna for several weeks and just moved the set to Midtown.

"The Walking Dead" is currently in production of season two and has been filming near Senoia and Hampton lately.

Spotted any celebrities around the state? Email us at reelga@gmail.com with the details and we'll post it here.