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The Conspirator
Written by: Sarah
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Although Robert Redford’s film The Conspirator has been filming in Savannah since the beginning of October, locals and tourists are still thrilled with the sights and sounds that have come with a movie. This isn’t the first film to be filmed in the beautiful Hostess City - The Legend of Bagger Vance and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil are both notable favorites - and we’re sure this won’t be the last either! Savannah will be home to Mr. Redford’s film throughout November, with filming planned to wrap up around December 15th, and Key To Savannah has all the latest on the The Conspirator here for your enjoyment.
In the months since the film was announced, many notable Hollywood names have joined Redford’s star-filled cast. Robin Wright Penn (who we loved in Forrest Gump, parts of which were also filmed in Savannah) is the female lead, playing Mary Surratt, the only female convicted in the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Scottish actor James McAvoy is cast alongside Penn as Surratt’s defender, war veteran and lawyer Frederick Aiken. McAvoy has been noted as a rising star in Hollywood for his wide range of dramatic roles, including Robbie Turner in 2007’s Atonement and Dr. Nicholas Garrigan in 2006’s The Last King of Scotland.
New faces have been added even in the last few weeks - actor Justin Long, of He’s Just Not That Into You and the Mac commercials, will be playing a war veteran and Aiken’s best friend. Alexis Bledel (Gilmore Girls and The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants 1 & 2) has been cast as Aiken’s wife, and Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton, Batman Begins) as Reverdy Johnson, former U.S. Senator and mentor to Aiken. Also joining the cast are Kevin Kline (Definitely, Maybe and A Prairie Home Companion) playing Lincoln’s War Secretary Edwin Stanton and British Actor Toby Kebbell as the infamous John Wilkes Booth. Evan Rachel Wood (Across the Universe) will be playing Mary Surratt’s daughter, Anna, and has already been seen filming with McAvoy during the first week of filming on Taylor Street and Chatham Square. Update: Actor Norman Reedus (The Boondock Saints) is portraying conspirator Lewis Payne Powell and has been seen filming downtown and at Fort Pulaski.
It’s not hard to imagine being in 1865 when you walk around Savannah and it took very little to transform present day streets and homes into movie sets. Many of the cobblestone streets have been covered with dirt one day and completely cleaned the next. The Harper-Fowlkes House off Orleans Square was covered with patriotic banners and a party scene was filmed in the beautiful back garden. Barnard Street between Perry and Hull streets, just outside the home, swarmed with costumed actors and actresses as a celebration for the end of the Civil War was filmed, complete with fireworks. Several members of the cast were on hand for the filming that night, including James McAvoy, Justin Long and Alexis Bledel.
With the progression of filming, sets have popped up all over Savannah’s beautiful Historic District and dozens of locals and tourists have been out movie-watching and snapping pics of (and with) the celebs. We’ve got the pictures to prove it, too. Check out our InFocus section and see for yourself a behind the scenes look at our beautiful city transformed, swarmed with lights and cameras and actors all about.
Want more updates on the filming as it progresses? Follow us on Twitter for up to date information on the set as it moves throughout the beautiful Historic District. We’ll warn you about street closings and let you in on where to snap the best pictures.
Until next time, y’all.
Updates related to The Conspirator:
The Conspirator set visits Fort Pulaski
Scoping Out the Set of The Conspirator (InFocus Album with photos of Robin Wright, James McAvoy, Evan Rachel Wood and Director Robert Redford.)
Fort Pulaski: A Healthy Dose of History and Hollywood (InFocus Album with photos of Robin Wright, Norman Reedus and Director Robert Redford.)
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