‘Watchmen,’ ‘Zombieland’ and more. These hit movies and shows were filmed in Macon in 2019.

Macon has seen five large film and television series productions in the last year compared to only one major production filmed in 2017 and 2018.

Interest in the location has grown due to its uniqueness compared to the rest of the state, its proximity to Atlanta and its architecture, said Aaron Buzza, camera ready liaison for the Macon Film Commission.

“More and more I hear somebody from a previous project mention that they had a really good experience here in Macon,” he said. “People are welcoming. It’s something that is unique and we’re obviously excited about, but at the same time, it’s something that everybody has approached in a really positive way.”

Here is a list of movies and television series that filmed (at least somewhat) in Macon.

‘Zombieland: Double Tap’

“Zombieland: Double Tap” filmed parts of the movie in February on Eisenhower Parkway from Broadway to Edgewood Avenue, according to The Telegraph.

The road was closed Feb. 4-10, and there was a single lane closure of Seventh Street from around the Eisenhower overpass to South Street on, Feb. 4-9.

The county received $5,050 for the lane closures, and some scenes were also shot in a former chicken processing plant on Seventh Street.

“Zombieland: Double Tap” was released Oct. 18 and is a movie about four Zombie slayers who go on a journey through the post-apocalyptic world.

‘Watchmen’

The HBO series, “Watchmen,” returned to Macon twice in 2019, Buzza said.

The first time was in March when the crew filmed in the Douglass Theatre, according to previous Telegraph reports.

An episode based in a 1930’s New York City was filmed largely in Macon in May, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“Watchmen” is based on a science fiction comic book series about an alternate history in which superheroes are treated as outlaws.

‘Black Widow’

The Marvel movie, “Black Widow,” was partially filmed in Macon in early October at Terminal Station under the name “Blue Bayou,” according to The Telegraph.

Although most of the movie was filmed in Europe, Marvel does reshoots in less expensive places, according to the AJC.

Mystery Movies

Netflix’s “Ivan” was later identified as “Hillbilly Elegy,” a movie based on the memoir by J. D. Vance about his Kentucky family and his hometown of Middletown, Ohio.

The filming started in July and had a casting call for factory workers, rehab patients, townspeople and vintage cars with drivers for the 1946 set, according to The Telegraph.

An HBO series under the code name “Project Random” started filming in Macon in November, according to a Telegraph report. It could possibly be Jordan Peele’s HBO project “Lovecraft Country” based on a casting call that came out at the time.

“Lovecraft Country” is a drama horror series based on Matt Ruff’s novel, which is a combination of H. P. Lovecraft’s horror fiction and racism in the United States during the era of Jim Crow laws.

Smaller projects

Macon saw several smaller projects, Buzza said, including a television pilot, a couple of independent films, a television documentary series episode and a commercial for Target.

This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 5:00 AM.