Movie Production Gets Permission to Move Atlanta Trees, Sparking Controversy

A movie production company and the Mayor of Atlanta are being criticized by some residents for allegedly quickly ironing out a deal to remove eight trees from a property to allow crews a better view of the building on the land.

WSB-TV reports that Marvel Studios, which is filming “Ant Man” in Atlanta, spent $63,000 to remove the magnolia trees from the front of the former Georgia Archives building at 330 Capitol Avenue in downtown.

Once the trees are out of the way, production crews will have an unmolested view of the Georgia Archives building and can shoot footage of the building with ease.

The trees will be replanted nearby on Fraser Street, but a former City of Atlanta arborist told WSB-TV that he thought the city gave the studio ”special treatment” to remove the trees without filing for permits and going through the official tree removal process.

The Georgia Archives building, also known as the “White Ice Cube” was hailed as an architectural masterpiece when it was completed in 1965, but was shuttered in 2003 when it was discovered the building was sinking into the ground. The state archives were relocated to Morrow.