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For the grayest and most seasoned generation of Milledgeville residents, Flannery O'Connor remains a polarizing figure. Some are proud of the fact that one of the 20th century's most celebrated writers was from right here in Milledgeville, while others never really appreciated how this part of the world was portrayed in O'Connor's writings.
Regardless, a new round of national O'Connor interest in en route, as filming began earlier this month on "Wildcat," a look at the life of Flannery O’Connor, according to an article in Variety from earlier this month.
Added the article: "Ethan Hawke has started production on 'Wildcat,' a look at the life of Flannery O’Connor that stars Maya Hawke as the Southern writer. He’s assembled an ensemble of heavy hitters that also includes Oscar-nominee Laura Linney ('You Can Count on Me”), Philip Ettinger ('First Reformed'), Rafael Casal (“Blindspotting'), Steve Zahn ('White Lotus'), Cooper Hoffman ('Licorice Pizza'), Willa Fitzgerald (“Reacher'), Alessandro Nivola ('The Many Saints of Newark') and Vincent D’Onofrio ('Law & Order: Criminal Intent')."
The period of O'Connor's life when "she struggles to publish her first novel" will be the focus of the movie. "Wise Blood," which was O'Connor's first novel, was published in 1952.
Shooting for the movie began in Louisville, Ky., on Jan. 10. It's not immediately clear if any of the film locations will actually be here in Milledgeville or anywhere else in Georgia.
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According to the Andalusia Institute at Georgia College & State University, "Mary Flannery O’Connor spent most of her short life in Georgia during the middle of the 20th century. Although she did go away to the University of Iowa for her MFA (where she dropped the 'Mary' from her professional name) and spent time in the New York literary environment, her illness forced her back to Milledgeville, Georgia for the last third of her life where she wrote most of her short stories, novels, and essays."
O'Connor's family farm remains finely preserved and open to the public.
"Andalusia, her home, now a historic house museum, provides an intimate glimpse into what O’Connor’s writing life was like as well as insight on mid-20th Century farm life. It has preserved many of the original artifacts from the house that were part of O’Connor’s life during her illness," according to the Institute.
