SAN ANTONIO — It’s one of the most wildly popular streamed series, and now a prequel to it will be at least partially set right here in San Antonio.
Starting Monday, the production of Paramount+ original series "1923" will shoot one episode on Broadway. While it's exciting news for the Alamo City's film scene, it means major road closures in the area for days on top of existing construction.
In the long run, a lot of business owners believe the shoots will drive tourism with fans wanting to see where the series was filmed. In the short term, however, they're worried about a decrease in revenue.
"We are hopeful that people will still come to see us. They might be excited about the production," said Alex Sledge, with Paris Hatters.
Hopeful but hesitant, Sledge said she’s seen the impact of the show himself.
"The 'Yellowstone' franchise has brought a great focus on hats," she added.
But now, with the show’s prequel filming outside their front door, they’re worried about taking a hit in sales.
Sledge said they’ve been working with the show’s production company to try and mitigate that loss. She's no stranger to seeing fewer customers, having contended with construction-related closures last year.
"The sidewalks were open then as well. So we can illustrate the drop in foot traffic from that."
Across the street at Archies Fine Coffee, Paulino Diaz said they’re counting on those long production days.
"We’re hoping to be a hangout for cast and crew if they don’t have their own thing going on," Diaz said.
Diaz added that if they can be a catalyst of energy for them to get shooting done, Archies Fine Coffee would be honored.
Representatives with the San Antonio Film Commission said this month's "1923" shoot can help cultivate film tourism, leading to increased revenue. But it's too early to determine what that revenue could amount to.
So for now, it’s wait and see for all businesses and the city.
"It’s just kind of trying to estimate, these are the numbers from last year," Sledge said.
“We’re excited about them possibly coming by and the traction afterwards," Diaz added.
We reached out to the show’s production company about the impact on these businesses and are waiting to hear back.
And if you are interested in being an extra in 1923, they are still looking for people. The company Legacy Casting is casting extras for San Antonio, Austin and Galveston locations. Just go to the website MyCastingFile and search Legacy Casting.