Before Monday’s tragic mass shooting, affluent Highland Park, Ill., had another claim to fame – as the film set for several iconic 1980s movies. One was “The Color of Money,&#8221… ...

Now, the city is crawling with movie producers looking for backdrops for their science-fiction thrillers, further bolstering Atlanta's growing reputation as futuristic cinema's go-to city.

While the craft saw its heyday in the Golden Age of Hollywood, when as many as five scenic artists would paint for a month on muslin to create a backdrop, there was “a renaissance in the ‘ 80s ...