Spider-Man 3 Filming Creates Controversy for Atlanta Parents As Schools Remain Closed

Filming for Spider-Man 3 is well underway in Atlanta, and has been so for the better part of a month. Now, however, the Marvel Studios production is stirring up some controversy with local parents over the use of two schools for principal photography, even though they've been closed to students for over eight months.

The Atlanta Public Schools system shuttered schools last March and went entirely online as concerns grew over the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Now in a new school year, students remain in online classes with the earliest potential opportunity to return coming in January.

At the time, the APS also refused to book schools for use in Hollywood productions — that much has changed, however, as Spider-Man 3 is the first film since March to be approved to use Atlanta's Fredrick Douglass High School and Henry W. Grady High School in the earlier parts of next year.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Marvel Studios location manager Ian Easterbrook offered the school system $50,000 to film in the schools because of the movie's "unique and very time-sensitive" circumstances. Easterbrook wrote in an email obtained by the AJC the schools were "vital to the success of this next film."

"I know that APS is currently not accepting filming applications due to the COVID pandemic, and I know that filming a new movie quickly falls to the bottom of the priority list," the paper says Easterbrook's e-mail said. The production is currently scheduled to filming at Douglass High School the weekend of January 22nd and at Grady the weekend of March 19th.

The report suggests filming will only take one day at each site, though two additional days are required for set-up and tear-down. Should school be back in session by then, filming wouldn't begin in the schools until students have left for the weekend.

In typical Marvel fashion, we know little about the plot of the film other than the fact it'll featured Jamie Foxx as he reprises his role as Electro from The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Spidey star Jacob Batalon told his earlier this month he was excited to act alongside someone he considers a childhood hero.

"I'm a huge fan of Jamie Foxx. Like, literally, I grew up watching his things so being able to work with all these influential people in these movies has been like a godsend," the Spider-Man star told ComicBook.com when we spoke with him earlier this month. "I truly can't believe ... it's really because of Spider-Man that I get to meet all my heroes. Just having Jamie Foxx, he's so prolific, he's this very diverse ... he can just do everything. It's so awesome to really just know that he's in our project. That's so awesome."

Spider-Man 3 is currently set for release on December 17, 2021.

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