Morning, y’all! Expect highs in the upper 70s today.
News wise, we’ve got the latest on Atlanta’s homicide numbers, a plea deal in the Young Thug case and the future of the Georgia-Florida game. Plus: Is trick-or-treating dying?
But first, another uncomfortable omen for the film crowd.
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A WHALE OF A SALE
Courtesy photo
Courtesy photo
A whole host of scary movies and TV shows have been shot in Georgia in recent years.
“Stranger Things” (from which you can now rent a house, by the way).
An “Exorcist” sequel.
“Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween.”
- But the spookiest thing about our state’s film industry lately? That might just be … the state’s film industry.
After 18 months, things still haven’t bounced back from a series of union strikes. Streamers keep slashing budgets. While Gov. Brian Kemp and his counterpart in California trade barbs about tax breaks, big projects that might’ve previously landed in the Peach State continue migrating to Europe (where they’re giving away even more money).
Atlanta-area soundstages sit empty and local workers struggle, fearful of their future.
- “I don’t think people believe work’s going to bounce back,” one recently told the AJC.
Then there’s this: a massive prop sale that starts today near the airport.
No one’s saying what film studio it’s tied to, but it’s being hosted in a warehouse that could fit three football fields — so whoever it is, it’s a major player.
Courtesy photo
Courtesy photo
“This building is bigger than your average Walmart,” said Robert Ahlers, CEO of Peachtree Battle Estate Sales. “We have more flat-screen TVs than Best Buy.”
- Other offerings: a full-size (but nonliving) orca whale; a replica New York City subway car; five suits of armor (dibs!); and a whole bunch of African masks.
- Clothes and furniture and pianos and actual green screens, too.
All of which is pretty cool! And, honestly, kind of funny.
If it weren’t also another sign of a flailing industry.
“While prop sales are relatively common,” my colleague Rodney Ho writes, “this particular one is unusually large and the space is not being refilled with new props and equipment.”
Which suggests someone might be pulling out altogether.
The prop sale runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day through Sunday at 3760 Southside Industrial Parkway in Atlanta.
Let me know if you stop by — and stay tuned for the AJC’s new film industry newsletter, which launches soon on LinkedIn.
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STILL TRENDING DOWN
John Spink/AJC
John Spink/AJC
Atlanta police recently saw their 100th homicide case of the year. A grim milestone, but also a sign of progress: The city’s on pace for a 10% decline over 2023.
Chief Darin Schierbaum said his department continues “attacking gangs, guns and drugs.”
- “One robbery is one too many. One murder is one too many,” Schierbaum said. “But we’re moving in the right direction. And this is a great city.”
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TRICK OR RETREAT?
AJC columnist Nedra Rhone, meanwhile, wonders if safety concerns have killed trick-or-treating in certain Atlanta neighborhoods.
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COPPING A PLEA
Quamarvious Nichols — one of six people currently standing trial in the gang case involving rapper Young Thug — received a seven-year prison sentence after entering a plea deal with Fulton County prosecutors.
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CAMPAIGN WATCH
Hyosub Shin/AJC
Hyosub Shin/AJC
Before Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris delivered her “closing argument” in Washington, D.C., running mate Tim Walz visited voters in Savannah and Columbus.
Former first lady Michelle Obama and her nonpartisan When We All Vote organization then held a star-studded rally in College Park.
“There is a power to this place,” singer Victoria Monét said. “This is a city that marches. This is the city that rallies. This is a city that shows up for our people and for ourselves. This is a city that votes.”
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PITY IN THE TREES
More and more insurance companies are forcing Atlanta-area homeowners to trim or cut down trees or risk their policies being canceled. Some are dropping folks either way, columnist Bill Torpy writes.
“It’s part of the problem, part of the uncertainty,” one unlucky resident told him. “It’s like living in China: You don’t know where the line is.”
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SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
- Bulldogs: Jacksonville’s mayor says we may know the location(s) for the 2026 and 2027 Georgia-Florida games as soon as this week.
- Jackets: Associate head coach for special teams Ricky Brumfield said on social media he “made the difficult decision to step away” from the football team.
- World Series: Ex-Brave Freddie Freeman hit another record-breaking home run but the Dodgers couldn’t complete a sweep of the Yankees. Game 5 tonight.
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BEER AND BRISKET
Courtesy photo/Chris Rank
Courtesy photo/Chris Rank
Meaty news for my fellow DeKalb County residents: A hybrid Wild Heaven Brewery and Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q quietly opened over the weekend in the Toco Hill shopping center.
- I actually stopped by over the weekend, and my kids can attest that the trees in the courtyard are perfect for climbing, too.
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MORE TO EXPLORE
» Families wait as decomposing bodies at funeral home identified
» Centennial Yards pays to forgo affordable units in apartment tower
» Why people who broker office space feel optimistic about Atlanta
» Clark Atlanta University launches new Black Southern labor institute
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ON THIS DATE
Oct. 30, 1942
The Bell Bomber plant, which churned out B-29s throughout World War II and put Cobb County on the map, neared completion.
“Those doubters who said the bomber plant never would be built can get an eyeful of refutation now by visiting the site,” the Atlanta Journal reported.
The plant shuttered in 1945, but not before triggering a local population boom. The firm now known as Lockheed Martin took over a few years later.
File photo
File photo
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
Miguel Martinez-Jimenez/AJC
Miguel Martinez-Jimenez/AJC
AJC photographer Miguel Martinez-Jimenez captured the scene as Atlanta police took a suspect into custody following a standoff at the Four Seasons hotel in Midtown. The 70-year-old suspect and an officer suffered injuries.
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ONE MORE THING
Circling back to the movie industry: What’s your favorite Halloween flick? Shoot me an email with your pick — and extra credit if you go with something Georgia-filmed.
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Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Until next time.
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