It’s been almost a year since Academy Award-winning actor Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer filmed a scene from Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp in downtown Savannah. The summer blockbuster, which opened this past weekend, had a direct economic spend of $3.7 million in Savannah.
The film, code named, “Cherry Blue,” during production, doubled as Argentina in the mid1980s. The flashback sequence turned Saint Julian Street, The Olde Pink House and Reynolds square into an Argentinian plaza, while Factors Walk became a South American marketplace. A few shots were also filmed in Forsyth Park.
The film’s Location Manager Mike Fantasia and his team coordinated the Savannah portion of the shoot and remarked about the experience in Savannah.
“Marvel Films had a fantastic experience filming in Savannah on Ant-Man and the Wasp. The Mayor has made filming a high priority and he and the Savannah Area Film Office provided invaluable assistance to the filmmakers. The film office coordinated many meetings between the production and various city agencies and smoothed the way with community and business groups. The residents of Savannah treated the crew with genuine Southern hospitality and they had a great time working there. I look forward to working on an entire feature in Savannah again in the near future.”
Savannah Area Film Office Executive Director Beth Nelson, said “While only shooting for two days, the production had a presence in Savannah for almost a month; building sets, prepping locations, obtaining permits, and preparing for the shooting crew to land. The production purchased goods and services from local businesses, hired local crew, and paid fees to local locations, resulting in $3.7 million in direct spend in the Savannah area. We were thrilled to have Marvel choose Savannah and pleased that a production of this caliber had such a positive experience in our city.”
In an expression of thanks Savannah Mayor Eddie DeLoach presented the Key to the City to Ant-Man and the Wasp Executive Producer Charles Newirth, who represented the production.
Georgia Film Academy Technical Instructor John Grace expressed his appreciation for the opportunities offered to his students.
“I am especially grateful to the production for hiring several Savannah Tech / GFA students as production assistants. It is this sort of real-world experience that prepares our students for careers in the industry.”
The entertainment production industry had an economic impact in the Savannah area of close to $138 million in 2017 with 99 professional productions and 161 student productions.
