The Color Purple has been filmed in different places depending on which version you mean, but both major adaptations were shot in the United States with some key Southern locations.

Main filming locations by version

1985 film (Steven Spielberg)

The original 1985 movie was primarily filmed in:

  • North Carolina – especially around Wadesboro and Salisbury, used for towns, countryside, and key exterior scenes.
  • California – including Universal Studios backlots (such as the “Six Points Texas” Western street and Stage 37) and areas in Monterey County for some rural settings.

These locations stood in for rural Georgia in the early 1900s.

2023 film (musical adaptation)

The 2023 musical remake was filmed largely across Georgia , chosen for its landscapes and big state film industry:

  • Jekyll Island (especially Driftwood Beach) for coastal and scenic sequences.
  • Savannah and Macon for historic streets, theaters (like the Douglass Theatre and the Capitol Theatre), and period downtown looks.
  • Atlanta and surrounding towns (Grantville, Covington, Whitesburg, Stone Mountain, Marble Hill) for neighborhoods, rural roads, and small-town settings.

The story is still set in Georgia, and filming there let the production lean into Alice Walker’s home state and the novel’s roots.

Quick reference table

[5][1] [1][5] [10][3][7][9] [3][7][9][10]
Version Year Primary Filming States Notable Locations
The Color Purple (film) 1985 California, North Carolina Universal Studios backlot & Stage 37 (Universal City, CA); Wadesboro & Salisbury, NC
The Color Purple (musical film) 2023 Georgia Jekyll Island (Driftwood Beach), Savannah, Macon, Atlanta area towns
**TL;DR:**
  • 1985 movie: Filmed in California (Universal Studios, Monterey County) and North Carolina (Wadesboro, Salisbury).
  • 2023 movie: Filmed all across Georgia, including Jekyll Island, Savannah, Macon, Atlanta, and several nearby towns.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.