Award-winning actress Viola Davis is set to begin shooting the feature film “Ally Clark” in Baton Rouge on April 1, according to the Film & Television Industry Alliance.
In the thriller, “Investigator Ally Clark uncovers a global conspiracy after a friend’s suspicious death, a journey that spans Washington, D.C., the Louisiana bayous and Alaska’s frozen peaks,” the FTIA previously announced.
Film production, once booming in Louisiana, nicknamed “Hollywood South,” has dwindled since various nationwide actors’ and writers’ strikes, along with the COVID pandemic.
“Productions of this size were common in Louisiana prior to 2015, but they have grown few and far between nationally in 2026,” said Patrick Mulhearn, president/owner of Mulhearn & Associates and CEO/partner in Irrevocable Designee LLC, both involved in the entertainment industry.
“Film Baton Rouge, Celtic, LED and our local industry deserve credit for developing and maintaining relationships with our good friends at Amazon. The result is going to be a ton of added commerce and employment for the capital city,” said Mulhearn, former executive director at Baton Rouge’s Celtic Studios.
Also signing on to the Amazon MGM project are Phillip Noyce, director; Irwin Winkler and Jose Ruisanchez, writers; and David Winkler, Charlies Winkler, Julius Tennon and Melainie Clark, producers.
Baton Rouge Film Commission Executive Director Katie Pryor was on a flight and couldn’t be reached for immediate comment.
It won’t be Davis’ first Louisiana work, as she filmed “Troop Zero” (2019) and “Beautiful Creatures” (2013) in the state.