A Tyler Perry movie is being filmed in downtown Macon. What you need to know

A street in downtown Macon is being transformed for the production of a Tyler Perry film that was written by Perry 26 years ago.

“A Jazzman’s Blues,” a story that follows an investigation into an unsolved murder that unveils a story of forbidden love, will be filming in Macon on Friday and Saturday.

Film crews will transform Second Street from Cherry Street to Mulberry Street into a movie set throughout the week, said Aaron Buzza, the vice president of development and COO of Visit Macon. Mulberry Street Lane from Second Street to Second Street Lane will also be used by the film crews along with Cotton Avenue from Second Street to Cherry Street.

The streets will be closed from 7 a.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday, but access to businesses will be available. If businesses will be closed for filming purposes, those business owners have negotiated the terms with the film.

The film is set from 1937-1987, and Joshua Boone and Solea Pfeiffer have been cast for the lead roles in the film. Perry will write, direct and produce the film, which has been a passion project for Perry since he wrote it in 1995, according to Variety Magazine.

“It’s time for me to do that movie,” Perry told Variety of the project in 2019. “That is my labor of love; the one that I want to do more than anything.”

Downtown Macon is no stranger to TV shows and movies. “The Underground Railroad” recently premiered on Amazon Prime, and Marvel’s “Black Widow” is slated for a summer release: both feature scenes shot downtown. “Lovecraft Country” filmed scenes along Cotton Avenue in late 2019, as did the movie “The 5th Wave,” which resulted in some damage along the street.

This story was originally published May 24, 2021 at 2:34 PM.