Diksha Sundriyal
In Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Logan Lucky,’ brothers Jimmy and Clyde Logan make an elaborate plan to rob Jimmy’s ex-employers at the Charlotte Speedway during a NASCAR event. While they also have their sister involved in it, they need someone who knows something about explosives. This is where Joe Bang comes in. The man is known for being an explosives expert and is perfect for the job. However, the problem with him is that he is in jail. To keep anyone from getting suspicious, not only does Joe need to be broken out of jail, but he must also be snuck back in when the job is done. This makes the prison, Monroe Correctional Facility, an important location in the story. SPOILERS AHEAD
The Old Douglas County Jail Sat in For the Fictional Monroe Correctional Facility
‘Logan Lucky’ takes place in West Virginia, but the filming for the black comedy took place in Georgia. While Atlanta was used for the most part, the crew also turned towards Douglasville to film crucial scenes. The Old Douglas County Jail in Douglasville, located at 6840 Church Street, was used to film the prison scenes.
Created in the 1980s, the place was shut down in 2012 when the new Douglas County Adult Detention Center was opened to operate in its place. Reportedly, the old jail was overcrowded and lacked the space and resources to keep functioning as a correctional facility. While it was emptied out, it didn’t stand unused for long. Its location and enduring structure allowed it to be used as a filming location for prominent productions like ‘All Eyez on Me,’ ‘Kill the Messenger,’ Discovery Channel’s ‘Manhunt,’ and the TV show ‘The Haves and the Have Nots,’ among others.
In 2018, Douglas County sold the place to the city of Douglasville for $850,000 in a bid to redevelop the “corridor to help boost economic development that would benefit the city and the county.” While the old prison remained a popular choice for filming for Hollywood productions, the city felt that this was not the best use of the place. It was decided that the place would be torn down, and in November 2019, it was completely demolished. In its place, the city planned to build a $40 million project that would fuse “Douglasville’s small-town atmosphere with a walkable urban space that radiates a metropolitan vibe,” which included but was not limited to making green spaces, creating apartments, and easing transportation.
In the movie, the prison remains an important and recurring location. To rescue Joe Bang, Clyde Logan gets himself arrested and thrown in the same prison. Later, at Joe’s behest, the other inmates cause a riot (which is a particularly funny scene) and hold the fort until the heist is done and Joe is back without anyone knowing anything about it.
Read More: What Does Cauliflower Mean in Logan Lucky?
