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The Originals movie cover Movie Locations Guide

Where was The Originals filmed?

2013

City Locations

Covington, Georgia, Olde Town Conyers, Madison, Rome, Macon, New Orleans

Location Types

Architectural, American, Apartment, Mansion, French, House, Rustic

Location Styles

Bars, Diners, Hotels, Religious, Bungalow, Creole

About The Originals

The Originals is a spin-off of The Vampire Diaries (TVD) which also aired on The CW. The Originals is a fantasy and supernatural drama series that aired from 2013 to 2018 for five seasons. The Originals was the first-ever series expansion created on a franchise based wholly on the success of its parent series (in this case, The Vampire Diaries). The Originals is a thrilling ride of werewolves, vampires, witches, and hybrids (werewolf-vampire mix). Spoiler alert: We’ll take you from one exciting film shoot to another!

The Originals starts where TVD ends with vampire-werewolf hybrid Klaus Mikaelson (Joseph Morgan) getting lured into the witch and vampire-filled politics of New Orleans. Since Klaus is in New Orleans, his brother, Elijah Mikaelson (Daniel Gillies), and sister Rebekah Mikaelson (Claire Holt) also follow him to New Orleans. When they are there, Klaus and Elijah are called to a cemetery and told by the witches that Hayley Marshall (Phoebe Tonkin) (Klaus' drunken one-night stand and a powerful Crescent Pack Princess) is pregnant with Klaus' child.

The witches of the French Quarter hold Hayley captive and threaten Klaus with the death of his unborn child if he does not kill Marcel Gerard (Charles Michael Davis). They want Marcel dead for his oppression and control of the witches. Since Klaus, Rebekah, and Elijah are Original vampires, only they are powerful enough to kill Marcel. However, the witches do not realize that Klaus is Marcel's sire and still loves him like a son. What follows is a bid to gain power back from Marcel, reclaim New Orleans as the seat of power of the Original vampires, and oust Marcel.

Included in this journey are Klaus' love interest Camille O'Connell (Leah Pipes), Davina Claire (Danielle Campbell), and Vincent Griffith (Yusuf Gatewood). Eventually, the Original three siblings get joined by their mother, Esther Mikaelson (Natalie Dreyfuss), father, Mikael (Sebastian Roche), and Klaus' biological father, werewolf Ansel (Lloyd Owen). They are also joined by their other siblings Kol (Nathaniel Buzolic and Daniel Sharman), Freya (Riley Emilia Voelkel), and Finn (Casper Zafer).

The Originals Locations

While The Originals is set in New Orleans, only a handful of the scenes are shot there. The filming locations were between New Orleans, Madison, Covington, Olde Town Conyers, Rome, and Macon. Some shots were also filmed in New York. These places were selected to keep with the New Orleans theme of the series, with several plot twists, iconic landmarks, and ease of shooting.

Since the actors had to shuffle between the sets, many were repurposed, the Olde Town Conyers scenes were used instead of the original French Quarter, the witches gathering space, and more. It was easier for the crew to adapt the filming as needed per episode in strategic locations in Olde Town. Most of the balcony, building, pub, and exterior shots shown in the series are all from Olde Town.

After The Originals finished filming, the same locations were used in The Legacies' shooting, a spin-off from The Originals. Legacies is Hope's story with key characters from The Vampire Diaries and The Originals like Alaric Saltzman, the twins, and others.

Did you know that The Originals was made because of the incredible response from fans of The Vampire Diaries (TVD)? Fans made videos from TVD and showed the producers what The Originals would look like. Once this happened, a new storyline and development began. Never underestimate the power of fans' following!

Fun fact:

While The Vampire Diaries came before The Originals, the fan following increased far more for The Originals, and the show got more supporters and followers than its parent series.

Marcel threatens the witches with his vampires scene in The Originals

Olde Town Conyers, Georgia

Marcel threatens the witches with his vampires scene in The Originals

After the Original vampire, Elijah Mikaelson (portrayed by Daniel Gillies), is lured to New Orleans by the witch, Jane-Anne Devereaux (Malaya Rivera Drew), he realizes something sinister is going on in the city. Marcel Gerard (Charles Michael Davis) and his vampires wreck Jane-Anne's vigil being held by her sister, Sophie Devereaux (Daniella Pineda). His vampires jump down from tall buildings, leap over cars, and generally scare the witches while Marcel saunters over to Sophie.

He drawls to Sophie, "Well, well, well, what have we here? Not half an hour ago, we had to teach your sister a little lesson." When Sophie tells him she's putting her sister to rest, he says, "I never said you could move the body. Matter of fact, I left her here for a reason. Send a message. My rules state that witches can't practice magic in the Quarter, and yet Jane-Anne was cooking up something magically delicious."

While this scene is supposedly shot in New Orleans, Louisiana, The Originals production team decided it's best suited to Olde Town Conyers in Georgia. This town was used for the filming of all the French Quarter scenes. To get here, catch a bus from Atlanta Bus Station to Conyers, then walk or drive to Olde Town, a mile away.

Klaus and Elijah arguing about the witches bidding scene in The Originals

Pirates Alley, New Orleans

Klaus and Elijah arguing about the witches bidding scene in The Originals

In this scene, brother Klaus and Elijah are arguing about the witches' demands regarding Marcel's death and the survival of Hayley's baby. Elijah tries to reason with Klaus, "We were ruined. Since then, all that we have ever wanted was to be a family." Klaus is stubborn and snaps, "I will not be manipulated." Elijah again tries to make Klaus see sense, "So what? With the witches, this girl, and her child, your child… live."

When Klaus tells Elijah he's going to kill all the witches, Elijah asks, "Is it so important to you that people quake with fear at the sound of your name?" Klaus asks him, "What will this child offer me? Will it guarantee me power?" to which Elijah replies, in his infinite wisdom, "Family is power, Niklaus. Love, loyalty, that's power. This is what we swore to one another a thousand years ago before life tore away what little humanity you had left. Before ego, before anger, before paranoia created in this person before me, someone I can barely even recognize as my own brother."

Since most of The Originals locations are based in New Orleans, getting to Pirates Alley shouldn't be an issue. This alley is quite picturesque (and a little haunted!), and live musicians are playing at the corners many nights. Just walk down St. Anne St and take a right at Royal St (quite close to the Hotel Royal) to get here.

Marcel throwing a party for the vampires scene in The Originals

Hotel Royal, New Orleans

Marcel throwing a party for the vampires scene in The Originals

Klaus visits Marcel in the old Mikaelson home in the French Quarter. The house still has the Mikaelson' M' logo everywhere, which new vampires presume is for the name Marcel. Klaus demands to know Marcel's connection with the witches. Marcel brushes it off, saying he doesn't want to tell Klaus. He also lets Klaus know that New Orleans now belongs to him (Marcel).

Hearing this, Klaus gets incensed and claims that when he left a hundred years ago, Marcel was just a pathetic little scrapper. Klaus says, "Now look at you! Master of your domain! Prince of the city!" Marcel tells him he understands Klaus' jealousy, but vampires now rule New Orleans since he got rid of the werewolves and controls the witches. But nothing is Klaus' any longer. Everything belongs to Marcel – "My home. My family. My city. My rules. And if anyone breaks those rules, they die. I'm the King of the City; show me some respect!" Hearing this, Klaus changes to part Vampire-part Werewolf and bites one of Marcel's vampires.

This filming location of The Originals is the Hotel Royal on Royal Street in New Orleans. It is a restored Creole townhouse open to visitors to climb the stairs and click pictures in the same spot Marcel stood while greeting everyone. To get here, get to Royal St from Bourbon St and take the first right turn.

Vincent and Marcel talking outside the pub scene in The Originals

Celtic Tavern, Olde Town Conyers

Vincent and Marcel talking outside the pub scene in The Originals

Vincent is looking in at Davina from outside Gillespie's Pub when he's joined by Marcel. They both are worried about Davina since she has had a hard time since she was banished from being an Elder. Marcel asks Vincent, "Can you help her?" to which Vincent replies, "If she lets me. I'm not holding my breath. She's been through a lot." The ever-pragmatic Marcel says, "She's alive. That's what counts." But Vincent is skeptical and says, "Yeah, we'll keep telling ourselves that, won't we?" and walks away from the pub. Marcel is thoughtful and is constantly worried about how Davina will survive and handle things since he loves her like a younger sister.

This scene is quite thought-provoking in The Originals since Davina is backed by an extremely powerful witch, a powerful vampire, has the on-and-off support of the Original vampires, and still could not remain an Elder. The ancestors decided she had to be excommunicated and removed from the French Quarter. Since New Orleans witches are connected to their sacred land, this was a massive blow to her magical powers.

Some of the best scenes in The Originals were filmed in Gillespie's Pub, which is the Celtic Tavern in Olde Town Conyers. They are known for fish, chips, draft beers, and shepherd's pie! To get here, catch a bus from Atlanta Bus Station to Conyers, then walk towards Commercial St NE. Celtic Tavern should be on your left.

Vincent performs a resurrection spell in the cemetery scene in The Originals

Lafayette Cemetery No 1, New Orleans

Vincent performs a resurrection spell in the cemetery scene in The Originals

In this scene, Elijah slits the throats of four harvest girl witches on the ceremonial ground in the French Quarter. Vincent Griffith (Yusuf Gatewood) starts crying because there are rules to follow for the harvest ritual ceremony to bring the girls back from the dead. Since he's not an Elder, there is a chance he cannot resurrect them. However, the ancestors are angered, and Vincent and Elijah start crying tears of blood. As they argue, Elijah's neck snaps, and he falls to the ground. Vincent realizes he must do something quickly, so he goes to Davina Clare's (Danielle Campbell) crypt and says, "Davina, baby, I'm so sorry. I really need your help."

Vincent cracks open her crypt with magic and pulls out her skull (since she was an Elder, her bones still have power). He then places her skull at the altar, anoints it with blood, and chants the ritualistic words to resurrect the four girls. He then requests the skull, "Davina, I need your help with the ancestors to bring those girls back over here. Help. Please accept the offering on behalf of the ancestors."

Out of all The Originals filming locations, this one is the most popular because it is shown in thousands of scenes. The Lafayette Cemetery in the city of New Orleans is a hotspot for tourists who walk through while taking photographs. It is also the filming location of NCIS and Dracula. If you're already touring New Orleans, hop on to bus 88 and get off at Basin St and Bienville St. The cemetery entrance is a 2-minute walk from the bus stop.

Klaus and Elijah say goodbye to each other scene in The Originals

Jackson Square Benches, New Orleans

Klaus and Elijah say goodbye to each other scene in The Originals

This incredibly poignant scene in the Originals is of Elijah and Klaus saying goodbye to each other and their siblings before accepting the final death with the stake. Klaus says to Elijah, "I don't want your last memory of me to be my death. So please let's not say the sad goodbye," and sits on a bench. Elijah says, "I agree, let's not," while he pulls out the stake and breaks it in two. Klaus asks Elijah if he plans to hold on to a piece of the stake as a souvenir of Klaus' death.

Elijah sits down next to Klaus, smiles at his brother, and says, "I intend to die by your side." Klaus tells him that Elijah doesn't need to die, and the moment Klaus dies, Elijah is free of his mad-king brother. Elijah explains to Klaus that he has already said his goodbyes to the family and has asked their siblings and significant others to look after Hope (Danielle Rose Russell), Klaus' daughter.

This incredibly bittersweet scene was shot at the Jackson Square Benches in Jackson Square in New Orleans. Jackson Square is filled with artists, singers, musicians, and painters. Considering all The Originals locations, this one is the dearest since it is surrounded by all the artists (as a tribute to Klaus). To get here, take any bus to Jackson Square and walk to the center till you reach the benches.

Conclusion

The Originals was a fitting conclusion to the followup on the new storyline in The Vampire Diaries for an audience that matured with the books and the TV series. The drama, plot lines, gory murder scenes, incredible stunts, speed, and the thrill of being werewolves, vampires, and powerful witches were brought to a stunning conclusion by the producers.

Most fans were heartbroken but pleased at the ending of The Originals, and the cast played their roles excellently. Everything from the emotional upheavals of Klaus being a maniac to him deciding to sacrifice his life for his daughter, the emotional bonds between siblings, to undying love for your family has been beautifully captured by The Originals.

The production team did a fabulous job with the on-screen locations, picturizations, excellent French Quarter themes, Bayou locales, and more that left audiences wanting more.

Fans of The Vampire Diaries and the famous The Originals need not be disheartened since The Legacies (The Originals spin-off) is still on-air and follows the next generation of powerful witches, werewolves, and vampires. A little birdie mentioned The Legacies also have something called a 'Tribrid!'