By now you’ve no doubt caught “Catching Fire” fever. The sequel to “The Hunger Games” opened Nov. 22.
Meanwhile, the next “Hunger Games” entry, “Mockingjay,” which will be split into two movies, has been filming in metro Atlanta and beyond for several months.
“We are thrilled that Georgia will host the final three movies of ‘The Hunger Games’ franchise,” said Lee Thomas, director of the Georgia Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office. “It is a true testament to our incentive, deep crew base, and growing infrastructure to be selected by Lionsgate for these highly anticipated sequels.”
But those are far from the only flicks to film here. Here’s a look at some of 2013’s other made-in-Georgia productions:
• “Anchorman 2,” which came out Dec. 18. The comedy starring Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, Dave Koechner, Kristen Wiig, Christina Applegate and Harrison Ford ended up being so stuffed with talent that you had to wonder who was left in Hollywood.
“Our goal was to fill it with all the people we love,” director Adam McKay told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Mission accomplished: In its final days, the movie lured Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, John C. Reilly, Jim Carrey, Kanye West, Sacha Baron Cohen, Liam Neeson and Kirsten Dunst to Atlanta to take part in a huge scene that filmed for a week in Woodruff Park.
While the movie is set in San Diego and New York City, “Anchorman 2” was filmed almost entirely in metro Atlanta (and on St. Simons Island) to take advantage of Georgia’s filming-industry tax incentives.
“The tax credit’s huge,” said McKay, who could be speaking for virtually every one of his moviemaking counterparts these days. “We basically shot a $100 million movie for half the price.”
• “Last Vegas,” released Nov. 1. The charming ensemble comedy about four lifelong buddies who reunite when the last holdout bachelor among them decides to take the plunge stars Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Michael Douglas and Kevin Kline.
“It was the kind of fun you have when everybody’s working together and seems to be in the same ballpark,” Kline said during an interview.
After a short break, he began work on the locally shot indie “The Last of Robin Hood,” in which he portrays Hollywood legend Errol Flynn.
• “42,” released in April and now out on DVD. A powerful biopic about the great Jackie Robinson, who broke through Major League Baseball’s color line with grace and bravery.
During the movie’s time filming in metro Atlanta, Atlanta Braves legend Hank Aaron was invited to the set and visited with Chadwick Boseman, who portrayed Robinson in the film.
• “A.C.O.D.,” released Oct. 18 and out on DVD Jan. 14. The smart, funny film struck just the right tone in examining the long-term impact of divorce on children.
“I felt like a divorce comedy wasn’t something I’d seen,” star Adam Scott said in an interview. He played Carter, whose parents’ divorce when he was 9 influenced the professionally successful yet personally stunted adult he would become. His parents, played by Richard Jenkins and Catherine O’Hara, end up hating each other so intensely that they can’t be in the same room together, so it’s Carter’s job to broker a detente as his brother’s wedding approaches.
“Movies about divorce have always been sort of tragic,” Stu Zicherman, the movie’s director and co-writer, said. “The one I lived through had elements of that, but it was also fluid, bizarre and at times, flat-out funny.”
• “Ride Along,” coming out Jan. 17. The comedy starring Kevin Hart and Ice Cube is about a fast-talking security guard who joins cop James on a 24-hour patrol of Atlanta in order to prove himself worthy of marrying James’ sister. The movie is directed by Tim Story, who directed Hart in “Think Like a Man” and its sequel, and also stars Gary Owen, who co-starred in “Think Like a Man.” Owen couldn’t reveal much during an interview. “There’s a twist in the movie, and my character’s sort of in the middle of it,” he teased.
