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Published Thursday, March 05, 2009 in Local

Photo by Elizabeth Melville

Actress Julia Ormond is escorted from a vehicle into The Alamo on Newnan’s Court Square, where she filmed scenes for Lifetime Television’s “The Wronged Man” Thursday.

Scenes for Lifetime production filmed downtown

By Elizabeth Melville

The Newnan Times-Herald

Actress Julia Ormond was on location Thursday on Newnan's Court Square, filming scenes for Lifetime Television's "The Wronged Man."

A member of the film crew told The Times-Herald that he anticipated filming in Newnan would last three days. Lifetime crews were in Griffin on Wednesday filming for the project.

Thursday morning, crews with Sony Pictures filmed scenes in the "rain" in front of The Alamo with set extras, pipes and lots of water. They also filmed interior shots with Ormond and other cast members. Period vehicles from the 1980s were parked around the square during filming.

While the film halted business Thursday at Fabiano's Pizzeria at The Alamo, it increased sales at Espresso Lane, according to Owner Nathan Dockery.

"These types of activities downtown help broaden our customer base and give us new exposure," said Dockery. "Traffic's worse and there are some complications, but that's just part of life. There's definitely a positive effect from this stuff -- in the long run it's good for Newnan and the businesses downtown."

Espresso Lane employee Katie Bomar started her shift at 12:30 and saw a noticeable increase in sales on Thursday. The lunch crowd, which normally wraps up around 1:30 p.m., lasted until 3:30 p.m. Thursday. Bomar was told that a member of the film crew came into the business Thursday morning and emptied the pastry case to provide breakfast for the cast and crew.

"We look forward to other movies in coming months," said Dockery. "I think this is helping to revive the downtown area."

Executive Producer Gale Anne Hurd was on site Thursday overseeing production of "The Wronged Man." She has worked on films such as "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," "Hulk" and "Armageddon."

The movie -- which is scheduled to debut this fall -- is based on the true story of the erroneous rape conviction of Calvin Willis in Shreveport, La., in 1986. Prissy Gregory, a legal assistant portrayed by Ormond, fights for nearly 20 years to overturn Willis' conviction.

Ormond is known for her starring roles in "First Knight," "Sabrina," "Legends of the Fall" and, most recently, "Benjamin Button."

Another major motion picture, "Zombieland," is scheduled to shoot scenes in Newnan for the upcoming horror/comedy starring Woody Harrelson. Filming is scheduled to begin in downtown Newnan on March 29. Shooting will take place on a portion of Greenville Street in the vicinity of East Broad Street and the Court Square. Shooting will also take place at a home on Wilcoxon Street and on LaGrange Street at the railroad overpass.

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