“Need For Speed” is an upcoming film starring Michael Keaton and “Breaking Bad” actor, Aaron Paul. The film is an adaption of Electronic Arts’ video game franchise of the same name. The film follows a street racer who is fresh from prison due to being framed by an ex-business associate. The street racer joins a cross-country race seeking revenge on the ex-associate, who has just put a bounty on his head. “Need For Speed” went on location to Georgia for shooting many of the film’s scenes. There were a few different locations in Georgia used for shooting the film, including Atlanta, Georgia. Though Atlanta was largely used for casting extras in the film, a few scenes were shot there, including one at the Intercontinental Buckhead Hotel. Most of the other scenes shot in Georgia were outside of the city.
Macon, Georgia is one of those other places used during the filming of “Need For Speed”. While in Macon, several roads were closed at various times for use during filming, including the off-ramp at Hardeman Ave, where a chase scene was shot. The Fountain Car Wash on Hardeman Ave was also used for a scene in the film. When the film’s set went to Blue Ridge, Georgia, they shot a scene at the Swan Drive-In located at 651 Summit Street. The Swan Drive-In theater has been established in Blue Ridge since 1955.
Over in Rome, Georgia, Cave Spring Road was heavily used for a few scenes. A helicopter was used on this road to take aerial shots. The helicopter could be seen as close as 500 feet from the ground. Cave Spring Road will represent traveling through middle America in the film. Another Rome location for the film was the Myrtle Hill Cemetery, which in the film, will represent rural New York. The cemetery was used for a funeral scene.
The “Need For Speed” set also went to Columbus, Georgia. In Columbus, the 13th Street bridge that goes over the Chattahoochee River was closed for most of a week while an elaborate scene that included a car crash took place. For the crash scene, a crane was used to lift a fiery car over the side of the bridge to avoid damage to the structure before tossing it over onto the rocks below. Emergency vehicles and a low-flying helicopter were also part of the climactic scene. Other areas in Columbus that were utilized for filming were parts of the Manchester Expressway, as well as Interstate 185 south towards Victory Drive.
Even though the film is not set in Georgia, there will be plenty of Georgia to be seen in the film. Georgia continues to be a “go to” place for big studios to film, so don’t expect to be seeing less of Georgia at the theaters any time soon.
“Need For Speed” will get motors revving in March of this year.
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