A guide to movies recently filmed in Austin (hello, Ben Affleck)

It hasn’t been your imagination. There’s a lot of filming going on in Austin lately.

With big-name filmmakers like Terrence Malick, Richard Linklater and Robert Rodriguez calling the city home over the years, and projects like “Dazed and Confused” and “Friday Night Lights” synonymous with the local identity, Austin has been a film town for decades. As it grows, the city is easier to spot on screen these days than perhaps ever before — we even got our own “Queer Eye” season and a "Real World"-style reality show, "Twentysomethings: Austin."

“Austin provides diverse filming locations, industry vendors, local incentives, production facilities, our famous Austin hospitality and of course a talented local cast and crew base — professionals with the skill set to bring any production in on time and on budget,” Brian Gannon, director and certified film commissioner for the Austin Film Commission, told the American-Statesman recently via email. The commission is a department of the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau, which promotes tourism in the city.

More:These are the Statesman's 10 favorite movies of 2022

Gannon said that Austin had a busy summer for film production. All the better for tourism: Film projects, which have notably included titles like “The Leftovers,” “Miss Congeniality” and “Office Space” in the past, raise the profile of the city around the world, he said.

Gannon expects local production of feature films and TV series to slow down in the first half of 2023, citing a lack of funding for the state's Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program, “the biggest tool used to bring in those large budget shows that are huge economic drivers in Texas,” he said. Gannon credited that funding with more than doubling the level of studio project production in town last year, and he expects industry groups like the Texas Media Production Alliance to push for more funding in the upcoming 88th session of the Texas Legislature, which begins Jan. 10.

But for now, you can point at your screen and say, “Hey, that’s us,” as you watch plenty of locally filmed movies and TV shows, both released in 2022 and coming in 2023. Here’s a guide to projects filmed in Austin recently, according to the Austin Film Commission, and what we know about them so far.

Celebrity visits and cinema shakeups:The year in Austin movie news

RELEASED IN 2022

‘Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood’

The latest from Austin film czar Richard Linklater, this animated time warp back to the 1960s Texas of his childhood made its world premiere during South by Southwest on March 13 at the Paramount Theatre. It came out on Netflix the next month.

From March:SXSW is back, and so is Richard Linklater. Next stop: the moon, in 'Apollo 10 1/2'

‘Blood Relatives’

Director Noah Segan’s horror comedy is a vampiric twist on the road trip movie. Filming in Austin happened in 2021, and it made its world premiere at Fantastic Fest this fall. It’s now available to stream on AMC+ and Shudder.

‘Evinced’

A sci-fi thriller from director Richeler Aladin, it’s available to stream, rent and buy on multiple platforms.

‘Fear the Walking Dead’

Season 7 of the AMC series, a spinoff of zombie saga “The Walking Dead” that filmed in Austin in 2021, aired its finale this summer.

‘Look Both Ways’

Lili Reinhart (Betty on “Riverdale”) starred in this movie about a young woman whose life could go in one of two directions. The movie was filmed in Austin last year. It’s available to stream on Netflix.

‘Lover, Beloved’

Austin filmmaker Michael Tully directed this project, wherein singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega pays tribute to author Carson McCullers. The film made its world premiere at SXSW.

'Pawn Stars Do America'

According to the Austin Film Commission, the History Channel reality show "Pawn Stars" filmed in the Austin area in 2022. Its spinoff, “Pawn Stars Do America," featuring episodes filmed around the country, premieres an Austin episode on Dec. 21.

‘Somebody Feed Phil’

As the Statesman detailed earlier this year, one of the hourlong episodes of Season 6 of Phil Rosenthal’s Netflix food series focused on Austin. (Austin360 dining critic Matthew Odam even made a cameo.)

More:Tour the Austin restaurants Netflix's 'Somebody Feed Phil' visited

‘The Ultimatum: Marry Or Move On’

This reality show hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey tests couples on the verge of marriage to see if they’ll tie the knot or split up. Filmed last year, it’s available to stream on Netflix.

‘Walker’

The CW’s reboot of Texas-set procedural “Walker, Texas Ranger” stars Austinite and “Supernatural” alum Jared Padalecki. The action in this version of Cordell Walker’s Western crimefighting saga is filmed in town. Episodes from Seasons 2 and 3 aired this year. According to the film commission, shooting is expected to continue into early 2023.

Recap:Jared Padalecki, Texas Ranger, patrols a weird TV version of Austin in 'Walker' reboot

EXPECTED TO COME OUT IN 2023 AND BEYOND

‘Chocolate Lizards’

According to Deadline, the film "Chocolate Lizards" is based on Cole Thompson’s 1999 novel and stars Rudy Pankow, Carrie-Ann Moss and Thomas Haden Church.

‘Clock’

“On the eve of her 39th birthday, a woman desperately attempts to fix her broken biological clock,” reads a casting call posted for this “low budget psychological thriller.” The writer/director is Alexis Jacknow, according to IMDB.

‘Hypnotic’

Last year, Deadline reported that production was set to begin on Robert Rodriguez’s thriller “Hypnotic” after a pandemic delay. Rodriguez also co-wrote the script with Max Borenstein. And, as you might have heard, the project stars Ben Affleck; sightings of the movie star have been whispered all over town. According to Austin Film Commission, it’s produced by Solstice and Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studios. A release date has not been announced, but the film commission said it's expected in 2023.

‘The Last Thing He Told Me’

Jennifer Garner alert! The actress stars in this Apple TV+ adaptation of the Laura Dave novel. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Angourie Rice and Aisha Tyler also star. Reese Witherspoon is one of the executive producers, and the show started production in May. A release date has not been announced, but expect it next year, according to the film commission.

‘The Long Game’

Physical production on feature film “The Long Game” began this summer, according to Deadline. The Julio Quintana-directed film adapts the book “Mustang Miracle,” about a group of Mexican American caddies who broke barriers playing golf in 1950s Texas. Cheech Marin, Oscar Nuñez and Dennis Quaid are among the cast.

‘Love & Death’

We knew about this one. David E. Kelly’s retelling of the 1980 Candy Montgomery axe murder story stars Elizabeth Olsen, Lily Rabe and Austin’s Jesse Plemmons. Nicole Kidman is one of the executive producers. The Statesman previously reported filming of “Love & Death” in the Georgetown and Hutto areas. According to Entertainment Weekly, it’s set to premiere on HBO Max in the spring.

More:HBO series pays Williamson County another $100,000 for more filming of ax murder series

‘Match Me If You Can’

Director Marian Yeager’s indie dating app comedy will come out in 2023, according to Austin Film Commission.

'Merrily We Roll Along'

Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood” proved the director could pull off a nontraditional film shoot over the course of many years. The director is now working on a film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Merrily We Roll Along,” starring Beanie Feldstein and Ben Platt. The original show is set across 20 years, and Platt told IndieWire in 2019 that Linklater’s production will follow that timeline when it comes to shooting. So, don’t expect to buy a ticket to this one for almost two decades.

'Spy Kids: Armageddon'

Robert Rodriguez helped put Austin on the film map with 2001’s “Spy Kids.” Netflix revealed in March that a reboot of the franchise would be coming to its platform. Zachary Levi and Gina Rodriguez star. In August, Rodriguez revealed that filming had wrapped. Expect it next year, according to the film commission.

More:Austin director Robert Rodriguez is bringing 'Spy Kids' back for Netflix

‘Tooth Shop Fiasco’

According to Deadline, David Harari’s independent dental caper "Tooth Shop Fiasco" will star Blaine May of “Joe Bell.”

Untitled documentary from A24

Filmmaker Margaret Brown — director of this year’s “Descendant” and previous works “The Great Invisible” and Townes Van Zandt doc “Be Here to Love Me” — filmed this year in Austin for a new documentary project from A24 and HBO. It’s expected to be released in 2023, according to the Austin Film Commission.

‘You Are Not Alone’

This family drama was written by University of Texas associate professor Cindy McCreery and directed by professor Andrew Shea, according to the Austin Chronicle. The script is inspired by McCreery’s real-life experience: Her brother battled cancer at a Los Angeles hospital at the same time that pop star Michael Jackson’s body lied in the nearby coroner’s office. The project filmed at Ascension Clinical Education Center downtown, according to the Chronicle.

Also filmed in Austin recently: Independent productions “Protocol 7,” “Rear View Mirror” and “Home Free” also recently filmed in the Austin area, according to Gannon, but details are scarce.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Movies and TV shows filmed in Austin and Central Texas in 2021, 2022