Keep an eye out for Clint Eastwood in and around Atlanta in the next few months. Production for his next film “The Ballad of Richard Jewell” has officially kicked off in Midtown.
The drama is based on the life Georgia native Richard Jewell and the Olympic Park bombing during the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta.
Jewell was a security guard who discovered a backpack filled with three pipe bombs at Centennial Olympic Park during the festivities. He alerted police and evacuated the area before the bomb exploded saving thousands of lives. The media hailed him a hero until law enforcement leaked his name to a reporter as a suspect. The media went on a frenzy accusing him and naming him a terrorist with out any proof or facts. Jewell instantly became one of the most hated men in America. Although he was later cleared of all charges, the media had already done irreparable damage to his personal life.
Already, Eastwood has been spotted having dinner with some other famous friends involved with the film - Jon Hamm, Kathy Bates, Sam Rockwell, and producer Tim Moore at Antico near Georgia Tech.
Last year, the 89 year old legendary actor filmed his film about a Mexican drug cartel, “The Mule” in several parts of Atlanta during summer 2018. Toby Keith wrote "Don't Let The Old Man In" for "The Mule" and I spoke with him about his friendship with Eastwood and how his music ended up in the movie on my podcast.