Shuvrajit Das Biswas
Clint Eastwood’s ‘Richard Jewell‘ comes at an apt time when a media trial is enough to obfuscate the truth forever and change the narrative of a situation, changing public perception by extension. The story follows the titular Richard Jewell, a man who works as a security guard when he chances upon the plot of bombing the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, which took place at the Centennial Olympic Park. Jewell’s warning saved numerous lives, but when it was leaked that the FBI was considering him as a suspect, his life turned to a living hell due to the media circus that followed. Although he was cleared of charges eventually, the movie documents how the media trial adversely affected Richard.
The movie is based on the Vanity Fair article “American Nightmare: The Ballad of Richard Jewell.” Naturally, it is a true story, and the locations in the film actually exist in real life. Therefore, you might be wondering whether the movie has opted to shoot in a studio or used the actual filming locations to capture the intensity and reflect the authenticity of the tale. We have got you covered in that regard and should preface it by saying that the director has opted for all the real locations in order to shoot his movie.
Richard Jewell Filming Locations
According to reports, all of the filming for ‘Richard Jewell’ has taken place in Atlanta, since that is where the story is based. The Centennial Olympic Park features prominently as it was the site for the concert and bombing. Eastwood decided to shoot in the actual location instead of recreating it, for the sake of authenticity.
However, Eastwood’s decision to film in Atlanta, Georgia, has raised some eyebrows from the politically correct sectors of Hollywood, who have called for a boycott of shooting in Georgia, following their regressive abortion ban. Eastwood, along with the movie’s producers, and people at Warner Bros., decided to film in Georgia nonetheless, to tell the compelling story, utilizing the actual locations where the events unfolded around 20 years ago. Now, without further ado, let us tell you about the specifics of where ‘Richard Jewell’ has been filmed.
Centennial Olympic Park, Georgia
The Centennial Olympic Park has once again become the stage where Eastwood is reenacting the fateful bombing on July 27, 1996, where a woman was killed and 100 people were injured. Eastwood managed to convince the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, to let him use the actual location for the movie.
Location manager Patrick Mignano, spoke about the process, saying, “Obviously (securing) the Park was the first step. Once we got the Park, the production and the art department, myself and my department, the location department, did a lot of research into the look. We looked at old footage, we looked at a lot photographs and tried to talk to as many people as we could. We went to the Atlanta History Center and got to go through their whole (Summer Olympics) archive, and I got to wear a Gold medal. They have a lot of pictures and a lot of videos. We did a lot of research, and from the photographs, we recreated the stage and the main elements that we need for our filming here.”
The authorities overseeing the park gave the green light in a statement saying that their due diligence about the project showed that the park served as a backdrop, while the story focused on Richard Jewell. According to the notices issued to the people, filming took place for around nine days, with the bombing being shot on August 1st or August 2nd. The North Park was closed for the same. While the setup itself started on July 12, 2019, the actual filming days were from July 23rd to July 26th and from July 29th to August 2nd.
Atlanta, Georgia
Apart from filming at the park, Eastwood’s crew was spotted in various locations all over Atlanta, filming for ‘Richard Jewell’. June 25th saw them filming at the Centennial Olympic Park, and in nearby areas including Baker Street near the Georgia Aquarium. The crew was spotted in Midtown on 14th Street and West Peachtree, on June 26th. The action moved to Perimeter Hall between July 2nd and July 3rd, while the crew was spotted at and near Oglethorpe University, between July 3rd and July 5th. The nearby areas of Peachtree Road and North Druid Hills Road in Brookhaven were also possibly used in the movie, since signs were put up at the time, indicating that filming was going on.
The crew then moved to Reynoldstown, filming near Home Grown on Memorial Drive. On July 17th, they headed back downtown, near the Marriott Marquis. Some filming also took place at John’s Hideaway, which is near the Peachtree Road United Methodist Church in Buckhead, where the crew set up the basecamp.
As is evident, Eastwood and his crew have paid great attention to the details of the filming location, going so far as to recreate the bombing near the AT&T stage in the park. The movie is bound to take us back in time and provide an immersive experience of the harrowing ordeal that Richard Jewell, the American hero, had to go through.
Read More: Is ‘Richard Jewell Based on a True Story?
