Three years after filming in Columbus, ‘Neon Highway’ now on the big screen, should be streaming soon

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — Three years after the motion picture “Neon Highway” was shot in and around Columbus, the movie is now in theaters.

In March 2021, WRBL’s Chuck Williams was looking all over town for actor Beau Bridges, one of the movie’s stars.

This week, Chuck caught up with Producer Stratton Leopold as the film gets ready for a one-week run at Lucas Cinemas on Fort Moore.

Neon Highway is a redemption story playing out like a country and western song. It stars actors Rob Mayes and Beau Bridges.

“Neon Highway” was shot almost entirely in Columbus in the spring of 2021. It was shot at the height of the pandemic restrictions. Scenes were shot at local bars, residences and even the Columbus State University nursing school.

“Columbus was extremely welcoming,” Leopold said. “We would love to shoot here again. The cooperation was fantastic. It really was. And I have shot around the world. I have shot everywhere. And the welcoming aspect of it, it was stellar.”

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Lori Berlanga, co-producer, agreed.

“The characters were real people,” she said. “It was real-life circumstances. Rob when we see him down the road he’s married, he has two great kids. But there is a concern about having enough money. Putting the kids through college. Paying the bills. And it’s real life. And I think that’s one of the things that Columbus brought. It’s that genuineness. And real life. And I think they really thrived off that and it shows on screen.”

The movie – which cost less than $10 million to make — is at least three months from hitting the streaming services. Leopold says negotiations about which streaming outlet will air the film are ongoing.

Right now he is hoping for a good week on Fort Moore. Right now, it’s in Atlanta, Nashville and Oklahoma City. He hopes the Fort Moore run leads to the movie being picked up by AMC and shown in the Columbus theaters.

“It’s a one-week run, unless it’s supported,” Leopold said. “Then it gets extended. It all depends on the week.”

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