Harrison Ford expected to film Jackie Robinson biopic in Macon
First came the High Plains Drifter. Now it’s Indiana Jones.
On the heels of Clint Eastwood filming movie scenes in Macon earlier this month, Harrison Ford will lead an A-list cast in the movie “42,” a biopic about former baseball star Jackie Robinson. Much of the movie will be filmed in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee this summer, with a significant portion of the movie expected to be filmed in Macon.
Dale “Doc” Dougherty, Macon’s parks and recreation director, said the city still hasn’t signed a contract with Legendary Pictures, the movie’s production company. But Dougherty said that when and if the movie starts filming here, it likely would be late May or early June.
“Nobody has contacted us yet, and there’s no set deal yet,” Dougherty said.
Once the movie deal is final, Dougherty said he and his staff would work to accommodate the movie shoot should Luther Williams Field be part of the production.
Elliott Dunwody, chairman of the Macon Film Commission, said much of downtown Macon could provide shooting locations for the film, which is set in the 1940s.
“Most of it that is going to be shot here is going to be shot in the downtown area,” Dunwody said. “Because of the quality of downtown being preserved, there will be a lot of things shot there. (The film) will be a period piece, and we will be turning Macon, Georgia, into several cities.”
But because of a confidentiality agreement, he said he couldn’t discuss details of specific filming locations such as Luther Williams Field.
Luther Williams Field served as a locale earlier this month for “Trouble With The Curve,” starring Eastwood, Amy Adams, John Goodman and Justin Timberlake.
While that movie filmed in Macon only for a day, Dougherty said the “42” production could be here as long as three months.
Chris Floore, spokesman for Mayor Robert Reichert, said that having two high-profile movies film back-to-back in Macon enhances the city’s image.
“It’s great that we’re being looked at so frequently,” Floore said. “It’s just great for us, great for the region. Just the buzz over the Clint Eastwood movie has raised everyone’s attention, and that was just for a day. The (Macon Film Commission) people are doing a great job in getting us out there. ... I heard (“42”) is going to be doing much longer filming here. Three days or three months, they are welcome here.”
“42” refers to Jackie Robinson’s uniform number, which was retired by Major League Baseball in 1997. Robinson, who was born in Cairo, Ga., broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947 when he played first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was named baseball’s first Rookie of the Year that season, and later, the award was renamed in his honor.
In his second season, Robinson switched to second base and primarily played that position for most of his 10 seasons. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, the first black player to be enshrined. In 1999, he was elected to baseball’s All-Century Team.
According to IMDb, an Internet movie website, Robinson will be played by the relatively unknown Chadwick Boseman, while Ford will portray Dodgers president Branch Rickey, who signed the player to the team. Former “Law & Order: SVU” star Christopher Meloni will play Dodgers manager Leo Durocher, and Jon Bernthal of the TV series “The Walking Dead” will play Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca.
The movie is written and directed by Brian Helgeland, who won an Academy Award for screenwriting in 1998 for “L.A. Confidential.”
“42” is one of several movies based on Robinson’s life. Most notably, Robinson portrayed himself in 1950’s “The Jackie Robinson Story,” alongside actress Ruby Dee.
To contact writer Phillip Ramati, call 744-4334. To contact writer Mike Stucka, call 744-4251.
This story was originally published March 28, 2012 at 10:26 AM with the headline "Harrison Ford expected to film Jackie Robinson biopic in Macon."