Production for the second season of “1923,” a prequel spin-off to the wildly popular Western show “Yellowstone,” is underway, and this month actors and film crews will be hitting the streets of San Antonio for a two-week period where city residents may get a chance to see parts of production or even be included as extras in the show. “1923” began shooting across Central Texas a couple months ago in Austin, Bartlett, Lockhart, and this month it’s making its way to San Antonio, specifically to Travis street and the stretch of Broadway in between Pecan and Houston streets.
Season two of the “Yellowstone” prequel stars Academy Award-winners Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren and is expected to release mid-2025, as they are still in the early days of filming. The first season was shot primarily in Montana (where the show takes place), and the move to Texas marks a pivotal shift in the changing landscape of Hollywood production. Like “1923,” many big-time productions have begun making their way to Texas because of the state-wide film incentives and tax breaks, and the evolving film culture and infrastructures developing in many Texas cities – like San Antonio.
San Antonio’s reputation as a movie-making destination has grown significantly in recent years with help of the new filming incentives and the city’s appealing film culture, not to mention its prominent landscape and architecture. However, despite the current interest in San Antonio as a landing place for Hollywood productions, the city already has a fairly notable history as a site for filmmaking. Countless famous films have shot scenes or entire movies in the streets of the Alamo City, including “Selena,” “Miss Congeniality,” “The Getaway,” and the silent film “Wings,” the first movie to ever win an Oscar for Best Picture back in 1929.
The world premiere of “Wings” was “just steps away from where the production of “1923” will be,” as noted by Women in Film and Television CEO Ceslie Armstrong in an interview with KSAT. “1923” also takes place around the same time as when “Wings” was released, and the decision for season two to come to San Antonio is kind of a full-circle moment for the city because of its connection to the film that won the first Oscar.
While the “1923” production team is keeping most of the specifics of their filming plans tightly under wraps, they have offered a shooting schedule in order to keep San Antonians in the loop regarding street closures and traffic adjustments. Filming will begin on September 16th to the 18th, and then again for five days beginning on the 20th, which means that on these days the roads will be closed off in the areas being used for production. Though downtown street closures and detours due to constant construction are nothing new to San Antonio residents, it’s not every day that we get to witness the filming of a high-profile TV series like “1923.”
