Written by on May 28, 2014. Posted in On Location

Lionsgate starts filming sci-fi sequel Insurgent on location in Atlanta

Lionsgate has started filming its sci-fi sequel Insurgent on location in Atlanta. Set in a dystopian Chicago, the film will follow on from the events of Divergent, an adaptation of a popular Young Adult series of novels from author Veronica Roth.

Neil Burger, director of first film Divergent, fought to shoot the movie on location in Chicago, taking advantage of the city’s historic architecture and warehouse spaces as the production team created a post-apocalyptic urban vision.

Burger has not returned for the sequel and Lionsgate revealed in March that Insurgent – and in all likelihood the two-part trilogy closer Allegiant – would follow better filming incentives to shoot in Atlanta.

Georgia offers a base 20% filming incentive, plus an additional 10% for productions that display a Georgia promotional logo in the end credits. The state also offers a better deal on star salaries, which is important on films like Insurgent as the main cast’s pay will have increased since the success of the first movie.

Atlanta has had great success in the past few years as the base of massively successful cable TV horror The Walking Dead and recent high-profile features have included Need for Speed, period sports biopic 42 and gangster drama Lawless.

Lionsgate has prior experience in Atlanta, having also shifted the Hunger Games franchise to the city after filming the first movie in North Carolina.

The change from Chicago to Atlanta continues a long-term filming incentive rivalry, which is particularly potent – and controversial – in the US. California, New York and Louisiana are the top production hubs in the country, although countries like the UK that offer generous filming incentives of their own are increasingly being used as bases for big-budget US features and TV dramas.