Hollywood comes to Columbus again. More stars in town for filming of this movie

William Jackson Harper from “The Good Place” and Wunmi Mosaku from “Loki” are among seven additional actors in the cast of “The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd,” a new prison-break thriller being filmed in Columbus.

Other newly announced cast members include Missi Pyle, Grant Harvey, Elizabeth Marvel and Devyn Tyler, all of whom have appeared in a range of acclaimed series and films.

The film’s writer and director, Tim Blake Nelson, who acted in “O Brother, Where Art Thou,” and “Holes,” also has a part. Character details for the actors still are under wraps, according to Deadline. The new additions come as filming heads into its final stretch, with production expected to conclude by mid-June.

Starring Amanda Seyfried and Scoot McNairy, “The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd” tells the story of a teacher in an abusive marriage who, after taking a job at a maximum-security prison, falls in love with an inmate. What starts as a forbidden relationship spirals into a harrowing escape attempt — with deadly consequences.

Filming in Columbus

The movie takes place in Oklahoma, but Columbus plays a starring role in the scenes. Local filming sites included Macon Road BBQ, the Rialto Event Center, the Muscogee County Jail and the Tom’s Foods plant.

Macon Road BBQ — chosen for its mom-and-pop feel, according to owner J.T. Starling — was transformed into a burger joint for the film. Starling told the Ledger-Enquirer his involvement with the production happened “out of the blue” after a producer ate at the restaurant and liked it enough to make it a set. He said he hopes the film brings in some barbecue bucks.

“A lot of people love to go to that place where they did ‘The Walking Dead,’ so I think it’ll generate some out-of-town business,” he said.

“The Walking Dead” also was filmed in Georgia, primarily around Atlanta and Senoia.

Starling said he was surprised by the set choice and excited to see the final product.

“It really made me feel good they chose my place,” he said. “We’ve been around a while, so it definitely made me feel a little jittery.”

Several Columbus residents also had a chance to be a part of the production with roles as extras.

Columbus couple Clint and Alex Tyra appear in the film, playing a police officer and Wilson Shedd’s girlfriend, respectively.

Alex told the Ledger-Enquirer she has wanted to act since she was 10. Productions in Columbus like “The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd” have made that dream come true, allowing her and her husband to act full-time.

Alex said her experience on set was “surreal,” especially after snagging a dance lesson from Tim Blake Nelson.

“There’s fake drugs on the table, there’s purple lighting … and Tim is in the middle of the room teaching us how to waltz one on one. It was just so cool,” she said. “It meant a lot to me.”

The Tyras also were extras in the John Trevolta movie “Cash Out” when it was was filmed in Columbus in June 2022 and “The Razor’s Edge” when it was filmed in Columbus in 2024. Clint, who left his job at Aflac to pivot to acting, said he is glad Columbus has drawn so many films to the local area.

He hopes Columbus’ film scene can someday rival that of Austin, Texas. Hundreds of films and series have been produced in Austin over the past 50 years, according to the Austin Film Commission.

“We’re hoping to see more homegrown stuff coming out of Columbus instead of having to lure it from Atlanta or Hollywood,” Clint told the Ledger-Enquirer. “It’s our own writers. It’s our own directors. That’s our hope.”

Col. Joe McCrea from the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office took being an extra one step further. As a contracted associate producer, he has been coordinating aspects of the film involving law enforcement — particularly the filming in the Muscogee County Jail. He also plays the role of a corrections captain in one scene.

McCrea previously worked on “Savage Salvation” as a consultant for Robert De Niro when it was filmed in Waycross in November 2020 to January 2021 and “Cash Out” as an associate producer.

Commenting on the filming of “The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd,” McCrea said he was impressed by the efficiency of the operation and had a good time with the cast and crew.

“It’s been fun to be a part of it,” he told the Ledger-Enquirer. “Everyone from the production crew all the way to the primary actors are good people, and it’s very pleasant to be around them.”

“The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd” is not the only movie recently born in the Chattahoochee Valley. Several other productions including “Overcomer,“ “The Greatest Inheritance” and “We Were Soldiers” also were filmed in the local area during the past two decades. McCrea said that’s because Columbus offers a lot of variety.

“[People] refer to it as a little big city,” he said. “Columbus is relatively easy to get around, … and there are a lot of different areas that they can use to make it look like they’re somewhere else.”

And, McCrea said, Columbus is friendly.

At the April 10 Columbus Film Office quarterly meeting, director Tim Blake Nelson called Columbus a “wonderful community” in which he felt “very much at home.”

“You have opened your arms to us,” he said. “It’s just incredible to be here.”

Actors in Columbus

Devyn Tyler — known for her roles in “Snowfall,” “Clarice” and “The Underground Railroad” — plays a wife and mother in the Wilson Shedd production. She gushed about the two weeks she spent in Columbus and said she plans to return with her family.

“The location ends up being a character,” she told the Ledger-Enquirer. “You’re seeing things that are very much historic, like they’re caught in a moment in time, or you’re seeing the river and you’re overcome by all the beautiful nature or you’re downtown and they have these lovely establishments. I was able to meet Columbus as a city, and I think it’s fabulous.”

Tyler said she was a fan of Columbus for its natural beauty, distinctive architecture and kind people, adding that the city’s many opportunities for adventure made it “fly” — a description she backed up by going zip lining during her time off.

A rich filming location like Columbus, she said, becomes a part of the story and adds to the atmosphere of a set no matter where the story takes place.

“[Columbus] is just such a blossoming, beautiful city, and I have a lot of respect for it,” Tyler said. “Being able to try to tell a story that requires heart in a place that’s filled with all this heart … makes it this lovely relationship. Even though it’s [Oklahoma in the movie], that heart stays the same.”

Some of the Wilson Shedd cast and crew have been staying in the Rialto Residence, a corporate housing building on Broadway in downtown Columbus developed to retain talent from corporate companies. Their host, PTAP president Jason Gamache, said getting these production companies into the city is a big deal.

“We want to see more of this come through because it can definitely stimulate our economy,” he told the Ledger-Enquirer. “And it’s awesome to watch a movie and see a background of our beautiful city.”

Gamache said the production crew has “fallen in love” with Columbus and been “good stewards” of the city, spending money and exploring all it has to offer. Many of the actors could be found walking through the Uptown Columbus Market Days, exercising on the Chattahoochee Riverwalk, hanging out on Broadway and trying out local restaurants. The Animal Farm restaurant, Gamache said, is among one of the actors’ favorite spots.

“A lot of people think of them as being transient folks that are in a couple days and out, but they’re not,” Gamache said. “They’re literally living in Columbus. It’s been really cool. I love that they made the city their home.”

The Columbus film scene

Columbus’ film scene is vibrant and growing, according to Columbus Film Commissioner Joel Slocumb. The city is home to seasoned filmmakers, local producers, a professional film critic, a community of podcast creators and several production service businesses, he said in an email to the Ledger-Enquirer.

“Columbus has been very favorable to the productions we have had filming here,” he said.

That’s because Columbus offers two incentives — the Georgia Film and Entertainment State Tax Credit and a local film incentive — that both help fund productions. These financial benefits are what initially drew Tim Blake Nelson and “The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd” to the city.

Slocumb said the budgets for film projects in Columbus have ranged from $2 million-$10 million with cast and crew averaging around 45-75 people. The Ledger-Enquirer previously reported that the Wilson Shedd production’s budget was $5.5 million with a crew of 80 people.

Alexander Kane, producer of “The Razor’s Edge,” starring Tommy Lee Jones and James Franco, told the Ledger-Enquirer that, while filming the movie in Columbus for nearly one month last year, his 85-member crew spent about $100,000 on daily living in the city.

Creating work and training opportunities for emerging talent has been one of the Columbus Film Commission’s major goals, Slocumb said. According to the commissioner, one notable collaboration was between the Wilson Shedd production and Columbus State University’s Georgia Film Academy.

Several CSU students interned with the production team as part of a course with the Georgia Film Academy. Dawson Shand, a 21-year-old communications senior, was one of them. He interned on set in the locations department and said he enjoyed getting real experience and building his network.

“I was grateful to get firsthand experience of what it was like on set,” he told the Ledger-Enquirer. “It’s surreal that they’re filming here.”

Navigating equipment requests and Columbus’ turbulent weather was a big part of the job, he said, adding that he was glad he got to see all the different ways his hometown could be used in the film industry.

“Columbus is a fantastic filming location. It’s got so much of a broad aesthetic spectrum and it’s just practical to film here,” he said. “The secret is out.”

This story was originally published June 12, 2025 at 8:51 AM.