BATON ROUGE - A big budget movie is now filming in the capital area, and it's one of many that are funneling money into the local economy. 

“Economically, when you think about some of the big films, it’s an incredible injection of money into our local economy," said Chris Stelly with Louisiana Economic Development.

"Iron Claw" starring Zac Efron is one of those films, currently shooting scenes in town. Sources say negotiations between the production crew and EBR schools are underway to use Baton Rouge Magnet High School as a filming location.

Several movies have been shot in Baton Rouge recently. 'The Mascot,' a movie about Mike the Tiger, is the most recent example of film crews set up in the capital city. 

“Baton Rouge has gone back as far as Dukes of Hazzard in 2005, and productions from that point on through today, it’s established itself as one of the great filmmaking communities in our state," Stelly said.

Since April 2017, the Baton Rouge Film Commission says locally, more than 34,000 hotel nights have been booked by production crews, and over $80 million has been paid through Louisiana Payroll. 

“When you have out of town film crews and out of town visitors and actors like Zac Efron in our community, they’re out and about spending, staying at our hotels, eating at our restaurants — there’s certainly an impact on tourism," Stelly said.

Stelly says the future is looking even brighter for movies in Louisiana, with some already set for 2023.