Georgia Guardsmen take directions for their participation in the filming of "Contagion" at the CDC in Atlanta
CLAY NATIONAL GUARD CENTER, Marietta, Ga., Jan. 6, 2011 – Georgia National Guard Soldiers were posted at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta to “assist local police in controlling an angry crowd.” The faux anxiety was all part of the production of a motion picture entitled “Contagion,” currently being filmed in Atlanta.
Soldiers and equipment of Georgia’s 48th Infantry Brigade of the Georgia Army National Guard were used as part of the action-thriller, which centers on the threat posed by a deadly disease and an international team of doctors contracted by the CDC to deal with the outbreak. The motion picture stars Matt Damon, Marion Cotillard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet and Laurence Fishburne. “Contagion” is scheduled for release October 2011.
The scene called for angry crowds at Atlanta’s CDC confronting local police with the National Guard Soldiers and vehicles nearby as security backup. In reality, the Georgia National Guard has a highly sophisticated team of technicians able to respond immediately to any biological, chemical, radiological or explosive threats.