ATLANTA (AP) — The second season of WGN America's drama series "Underground" has moved filming to southeast Georgia.
"Underground" will begin production of the new 10-episode season in Savannah, Georgia, on Aug. 29 after filming its first season in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Sony Pictures Television and WGN announced in a statement Thursday. The series delves into the challenges and dangers for slaves during their journey on the Underground Railroad.
The series stars Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Aldis Hodge, Alano Miler and Christopher Meloni. The second season is expected to premiere early next year.
Production will take four months and is expected to cost close to $50 million, the Savannah Morning News reported.
"This has been a long time coming," said Trip Tollison, president of the Savannah Economic Development Authority, which oversees the Savannah Area Film Office. "Since we started courting the entertainment industry, we've known that the real prize was landing a major television series."
There will be about 150 crewmembers working on set during the production of the series. Crew cars and base camp will be on a private property.
Tollison said a series typically films longer than four months and brings more people. But he said "most importantly, it shows people in the entertainment industry that Savannah has the ability to handle, partner and work on an ongoing project."
"It also shows our local workforce that we are serious about bringing in work that pays well and, hopefully, will encourage them to look at the first-class training that's being offered at Savannah Technical College's Georgia Film Academy," he added.
The network also said Aisha Hinds will portray Harriett Tubman, who helped other slaves escape during the Civil War.