Filming wrapped up Friday on an action, spy-thriller shot completely in the Augusta area.
“Agent Game” is the movie from the mind of writer and producer Tyler Konney, who has been in the area for about seven weeks.
“I wrote the script for the type of a spy movie I’d watch,” said Konney, who worked on the script with Mike Langer.
Helicopter sequences were shot Friday. Staff photo by Charmain Z. Brackett 
Helicopter sequences were shot Friday. Staff photo by Charmain Z. Brackett
The storyline features a CIA agent played Dermot Mulroney who has been made the scapegoat in an investigation that results in the death of a detainee. The movie features Mel Gibson, Katherine McNamara, Katie Cassidy and Jason Isaacs.
Konney was excited about having Gibson in the film.
“He read the script and liked it,” he said. “It’s a great honor. He’s an Oscar winning film director.”
Gibson doesn’t do a film without reading through the script, he said.
While Konney wanted to write a film he’d watch, Grant S. Johnson, the film’s director, wanted to create a spy movie that’s different from other movies in the genre but is still appealing to people who like action.
An actor rehearses a scene prior to filming. Photo by Charmain Z. Brackett
“I didn’t want to just make another action movie,” he said.
Many action flicks these days, he continued, are a series of scenes resulting in a high body count with little additional content. “Agent Game” does have plenty of scenes involving shootings, but Johnson’s vision includes the entire aesthetic related to the film.
Augusta, Thomson and Evans played a huge role in creating that aesthetic.
Downtown Augusta doubled as Washington, D.C. with the buildings at Seventh and Broad Streets giving off the vibe with its mix of classic architecture and 1960s tall black building. The Sibley Mill gave the feeling of an abandoned building in Eastern Europe, he said.
And the Recteq site in Evans with its warehouses and rows of trees with railroad tracks in the distance provided the right look for the film’s climactic sequences, he said.
Konney also loved the Augusta area as a film location.
One thing he liked was the ease of dealing with local authorities. With action sequences shot in Columbia County, the fire department was on standby in case the worst happened. In Augusta, the sheriff’s department assisted with street closures.
Konney said things they did in the area couldn’t be done in places like Los Angeles without a huge budget. The project wasn’t backed by a major studio but is an independently made film.
And Konney said he’d definitely return to the area to make another movie.
The filming of “Agent Game” took about four weeks. The next phase is editing and post-production. While “Agent Game” is the working title of the film, Konney said there’s a possibility it could be changed by the distribution company. He hopes that’s not the case.
“I like the title,” he said.
Konney didn’t have a projected release date other than sometime in early to mid-2022.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com.
