Timeline of Movies Filmed in Historic Savannah, Georgia
Savannah become very popular with filmmakers in the last quarter century of the 1900s as a great location to make movies. While this isn't a definitive list of all of the movies filmed in Savannah, it does reflect the biggest and best known.
The Longest Yard
Burt Reynolds spent part of 1973 around Savannah filming The Longest Yard which features downtown Savannah in the chase that ran through Forsyth Park to River Street. In the movie, Reynolds lpays a former NFL football star who recruits fellow prisoners to take on a rival team comprised of their prison guards.
Return of the Swamp Thing
This movie is a sequel to 1982's Swamp Thing. The sequel featured Louis Jourdan, Heather Locklear and Sarah Douglas. While filming on location in a swamp on Oatland Island just east of the City of Savannah, riflemen were on hand in case alligators approached any of the actors or crew. Heather Locklear won the Razzie Award for Worst Actress for her performance in the film.
Glory
Few movies filmed in Savannah bring so much talent to town than Glory, which starred Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington, Matthew Broderick and Cary Elwes. With box office sales of $27 million, this wasn't a blockbuster in theaters but was a very well received American historical war drama being set during the Civil War. The scenes for the party were shot at The Mercer House, which also featured prominently in another movie filmed in Savannah (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil).
Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump became the top grossing move in the United States in 1994. The movie was filmed in multiple locations mostly in the three states of Georgia, North Carolina & South Carolina. The scenes filmed in the Savannah, Georgia area include the bus stop scene (filmed in Chippewa Square). Local residents rank this as their favorite movie filmed in Savannah. Starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Sally Field.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Kevin Spacey starred as Jim Williams in the movie version of John Berendt's best selling novel (released in 1994) with a cast that included John Cusack, Jack Thompson, Jude Law, Alison Eastwood and the Lady Chablis. This became the 20th movie Clint Eastwood directed but one of the few in which he didn't also appear as an actor. Filming at the Mercer House posed challenges and no insurance company would underwrite the project. As a result, all items in the movie are replicas. There are many shots of Savannah in the movie that showcase the city's natural beauty.
The General's Daughter
In 1992, Nelson DeMille published his novel, The General's Daughter. As with many popular books, Hollywood soon came calling to try and translate the book's popularity into a successful motion picture. For the film adaptation of this mystery thriller, John Travolta stars Chief Warrant Officer Paul Brenner after Michael Douglas passed on the project. Travolta attempted to get his wife, Kelly Preston, a starring role in the movie but was unsuccessful. Other actors considered for the male lead included Nicholas Cage, Bruce Willis and John Cusack. Several scenes were filmed at nearby Tybee Island. The movie is estimated to have cost $95 million to produce and made nearly $150 million at the box office. Film critic Roger Ebert criticized the graphic murder scene saying "so unnecessarily graphic and gruesome that by the end I felt sort of unclean."
The Last Song
Miley Cirus starred in The Last Song, which was originally supposed to be filmed in North Carolina. However, Georgia's aggressive rebates to filmmakers eventually won the day and the story was slightly changed so that it took place on Tybee Island. It's the first movie filmed on Tybee that is also supposed to be occuring on the barrier island. The movie was a big hit commercially, bringing in nearly $90 million. Liam Hemsworth, Kelly Preston and Greg Kinnear co-starred.
Dirty Grandpa
While this movie was mostly filmed in Atlanta, there are "Spring Break" scenes filmed at Tybee Island. Robert DiNiro stars as the Dirty Grandpa in a movie some critics said was the worst they had ever seen. Despite negative reviews, it was wildly succesful financially.
Magic Mike XXL
Lots of laughs and lots of shirtless men in this sequel to 2012's Magic Mike starrting Channing Tatum. In the movie, the guys end up stopping in Savannah at a strip club. It was a massive success at the box office, bringing in over $120 million on a $15 million budget, making it one of the most successful movies filmed in Savannah.
Baywatch
Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron starred in the move remake of the popular 90s tv show "Baywatch." A big difference between the movie and the television show was the setting; the TV show was set in Malibu while the movie was set in Broward County, Florida. Filming took place in the Miami area, Savannah and Tybee Island.
Gemini Man
Work on this film's screenplay began in 1997 and it took a long time to come to theatres. In the more than two decades it took for this project to be completed, several actors (including Harrison Ford, Mel Gibon, and Sean Connery) were slated for the starring role but then dropped out for one reason or another. When everything finally came together, Wil Smith was the lead in the action thrilled that deals with cloning. The movie features beautiful shots of the marshes of south Georgia.
Lady and the Tramp
The opening of 2019's Lady and the Tramp shows the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, making the opening seconds of this film an obvious tip off to all who love Savannah that parts of the movie were filmed here. Filming locations around town include Johnson Square, Wright Square and the Georgia Railroad Museum. This version of Lady & the Tramp is a remake of Disney's 1955 classic film.
