Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening are coming to Georgia this month to start production on a Paramount+ film, “Jerry and Marge Go Large,” about a couple who funneled lottery winnings to help revive a small town.

The film is based on a true story written in 2018 by Jason Fagone for Huffington Post’s Highline.

The production is scheduled to run from July 26 to September 10.

Jerry Selbee (Cranston), a mildly dyslexic retired cereal company materials analyst who loves puzzles and patterns, figures out a loophole in the Michigan Cash WinFall state lottery game. They made money off of it, helping family and friends in a betting pool until Michigan closed that game. He and his wife Marge (Bening) made off even bigger when Massachusetts created a similar game with a similar loophole.

Over nine years, they grossed nearly $27 million, netting $7.75 million in profit before taxes.

According to the original story, their winnings would “spark an investigation by a Boston Globe Spotlight reporter, unleash a statewide political scandal and expose more than a few hypocrisies at the heart of America’s favorite form of legalized gambling.”

The movie is one of the first original features for Paramount+, which is competing with much bigger players like Netflix, Disney+ and HBO Max.

The scriptwriter, Brad Copeland, also wrote “Wild Hogs,” the hit comedy starring Tim Allen.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Rick Springfield, who is in concert at Atlanta Symphony Hall on Feb. 17, performs in 2023 at RiverEdge Park in Aurora, Ill. (Photo by Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP)

Credit: Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP

Featured

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shermela Williams faces another round of ethics complaints file by the state's judicial watchdog agency. (Courtesy of Fulton County Government)

Credit: Fulton County government