Mea Culpa is a 2024 American psychological thriller film directed, written, and produced by Tyler Perry under his own studios.
The legal thriller film premiered at The Paris Theatre in New York City on February 15, 2024 before its worldwide release on Netflix on February 23.
Let’s look at the exact places where this movie was filmed.
Mea Culpa Filming Locations
Mea Culpa was primarily filmed in Atlanta, Georgia, with some scenes taking place in Chicago, Illinois inside the United States.
Principal photography began on March 6, 2023 at Tyler Perry Studios and wrapped on March 26, 2023, as per Atlanta Film Commission records.
Tyler Perry Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Most of the shooting was done inside the Tyler Perry Studios. In addition to the sound stages, the studio has 200 acres of greenspace and backlots that were used in the shooting of outdoor scenes.
There are also dedicated shooting areas replicating city streets, neighborhoods, parks and other environments that could have been leveraged.
Tyler Perry Studios offered the Mea Culpa production a self-contained location with every possible filming need met on-site.
From the controlled sound stages to the outdoor lots and streetscapes, the facility had all the resources required to bring Mea Culpa’s story to life on the big screen.
While some smaller filming may have taken place on location elsewhere, the vast Tyler Perry Studios compound was clearly the primary filming home for the new movie.
Having such a world-class studio right in Atlanta made it an easy choice for the Mea Culpa production team.
Centennial Olympic Park
This 21-acre greenspace hosted events for the 1996 Summer Olympics. Today it features engaging water shows, the sweeping bronze sculpture Fountain of Rings, and variably-timed nightly light shows at its main fountain using 1200 lights and water jets.
Georgia Aquarium
Billed as one of the world’s largest aquariums, this venue will take you closer with over 100,000 animals representing 500 species in galleries like Ocean Voyager, built to resemble an abandoned port warehouse, and the whimsical World of Reptiles.
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Downtown Chicago, Illinois
In addition to the work done at Tyler Perry Studios, the Mea Culpa production team did some location filming in downtown Chicago.
You can spot River West, South Loop, West Loop, West Town, and locations near Grand and Milwaukee in the film.
The urban Chicago views provided a striking contrast to the Atlanta studio shooting. Perry wanted the Windy City’s atmosphere to help ratchet up the tension and danger depicted in certain scenes.
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Behind the Scenes
While Mea Culpa required the resources of a major studio complex for efficient filming, shooting of selected scenes on location enhanced the sense of place.
In a press interview, director Tyler Perry shed light on his choice of Chicago:
“I felt like Chicago was the right backdrop because the city is beautiful, it’s mysterious, it could be dangerous and sexy, and I think that it was also a character in the movie. It gives every kind of feeling that I needed to paint this picture and this tableau.”
Who’s in the cast of Mea Culpa?
The cast of Mea Culpa includes:
- Kelly Rowland as Mea
- Trevante Rhodes as Zyair
- Nick Sagar as Ray
- Sean Sagar as Kal
- Kerry O’Malley as Azalia
- Connor Weil as Bobby
- RonReaco Lee as Jimmy
- Angela Robinson as Renee
- Gene Weygandt as Maddy
- Arianna Barron as Jenna
- Paul Ryden as Judge Brodan
- Candice Fawcett as Carrie
- Shannon Thornton as Charlise
- María Gabriela González as Hydie
