Falcons’ Home Turf Plays Host to ‘Fantasy Football’

In its five-year existence, Mercedes-Benz Stadium has hosted its fair share of marquee events: the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship, Super Bowl LIII, concerts headlined by megastars like Jay-Z, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, and Billy Joel.

Had it not been for the pandemic, the 2020 Men’s Final Four would have joined the list. And looking ahead, the CFP National Championship returns in January 2025 while the World Cup will come to town in summer 2026.

Now, the stadium can lay claim to another function: serving as a recognizable filming location for a major motion picture.

“Fantasy Football,” the new family-friendly sports comedy currently available for streaming on Paramount+, includes many pivotal, action-packed scenes shot onsite at Mercedes-Benz Stadium as the protagonist, Bobby Coleman, is the fictitious Falcons star running back trying to revive his once-promising NFL career.

Lead actor Omari Hardwick // Photo Credits: Atlanta Falcons

Contrary to its title, the film, starring Omari Hardwick, Kelly Rowland, and precocious 18-year-old actress/film producer Marsai Martin (“black-ish”; “PAW Patrol: The Movie”) has nothing to do with fantasy football (i.e., DraftKings or FanDuel). It is, however, a sports fantasy film as Hardwick’s character Coleman, a fumble-prone journeyman tailback who barely cracks the Falcons’ practice squad, sees his career rejuvenated when his daughter, Callie, played by Martin, magically learns she can manipulate his moves on the gridiron via playing him in EA SPORTS “Madden NFL 23.”

It’s a heartwarming tale—a teenage girl coming into her own on her high school’s robotics club team is simultaneously able to channel her tech savviness toward transforming her former Heisman Trophy-winning father, now seemingly at the tail end of his career, into the next big thing in the NFL.

It’s also one of the more Atlanta-centric flicks in recent memory.
Undoubtedly, the city’s influence runs deep in Fantasy Football—and not just because of the backdrop of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, including its marvelous exterior, massive halo display, and actual conference rooms. The Falcons’ head coach is played by former longtime tight end Tony Gonzalez, whose Hall of Fame career wrapped up in the ATL last decade.

A classic Ludacris song blasts in the background during a feel-good scene in which Callie’s robotics team scores big during an interscholastic competition. Of course, Rowland, formerly of Destiny’s Child, hails from Atlanta. Perhaps lesser known is that Hardwick (best known for playing James “Ghost” St. Patrick on the hit Starz show “Power”) grew up in Decatur and, later, played as a defensive back at the University of Georgia before trying out for the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent. After a knee injury truncated his pro football career, Hardwick embarked on a now decades-long career in Hollywood.

And with “Fantasy Football,” he returned to his Atlanta roots. As the actor told CNN in the days leading up to the film’s release, “It feels incredible to be right back here at home. This is obviously my hometown team…but I never got to play for the Falcons. With this film, I got to do my thing.”

The film’s other star is indeed the Mercedes-Benz Stadium setting, which is unmistakably visible throughout the comedy. Although two other film productions have shot scenes at the stadium, one of which was for “The Tomorrow War,” both merely utilized the facility’s industrial-looking areas to their advantage without showcasing its identity. “Fantasy Football,” however, was different.

Atlanta Falcons General Manager Terry Fontenot and family

The recently-released movie, one that is tailor-made for the holiday season, showcases the Falcons’ home throughout its 98-minute runtime. But the authenticity came at a price as the venue’s leadership team had to carve out time for the production crew to have exclusive access (they were on-site for 11 days total at MSB with each session beginning in the wee hours of the morning and lasting 12 hours) while ensuring availability for the approximately 200 other events—everything from business conventions to NFL games—that Mercedes-Benz Stadium hosts.

But Natalee Anderson, Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s vice president of private events, and the rest of her diligent staff, were able to deftly navigate the conundrum while reaping the benefits of a football stadium that was designed to accommodate film productions with, for example, its suites being able to double as green rooms and loading dock serving as setup area for craft food services.

There will surely be other films shot on location at MSB, but it may be a while before another one makes it abundantly clear that the building is home to the Falcons.

“Fantasy Football” is directed by Anton Cropper and produced in partnership with The SpringHill Company’s Emmy Award-winning studio team founded by LeBron James and Maverick Carter and Genius Entertainment, spearheaded by Marsai Martin, Joshua Martin and Carol Martin. Although the film is currently only available on Paramount+ in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia, next year it will broaden its reach to additional global territories where Paramount+ is available.