There are a lot of movies filmed here in New Mexico, especially in or near Albuquerque.
The other day I took the road just south of the building where I work (which butts right up against an Indian Reservation) and I saw this odd looking structure with Mexican flags flying on top of it. Huh? And then it hit me. They are FILMING here! What’s being filmed now?
This:
Josh Brolin and Emily Blunt have been in town for a few months now. And the Mexican border patrol has been recreated about 6 blocks from where I work. Interesting!
What else has been filmed here?
The Avengers (portions of it….mostly the beginning in the rail yard where Loki makes his wonderful appearance). Am I the only one that thinks Loki should have his own movie?? I love him! He is like the hated villain (he’s SUCH a jerk!) that you can’t help loving.
The Lone Ranger (the one with Johnny Depp)
Armageddon
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
3:10 to Yuma
City Slickers
Cowboys and Aliens
Hang ‘Em High
Independence Day
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Jarhead
John Carter
No Country for Old Men
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Transcendence
Transformers 1 and 2
True Grit (the newer one)
Young Guns
Young Guns 2
There are many, many more. The main reason why so many movies and shows are filmed here are because of the discounts and tax breaks. Production companies get HUGE discounts for filming here instead of California or any other location.
And TV shows? I couldn’t find a list, but here’s the ones I know off the top of my head that have been filmed here:
In Plain Sight
Longmire
Manhattan (this is really good….we’re watching it now. It’s about the Manhattan project in Los Alamos, NM)
Lonesome Dove (the best miniseries ever)
And of course, the show that New Mexico (and Albuquerque in particular) will be known for forever. The show that was not only filmed here but took place here as well. The show that practically swept the Emmys last night:
Last night, Bryan Cranston won his 4th Emmy for playing Walter White. Anna Gunn won her 2nd for playing Skyler White. Aaron Paul won his 3rd for playing Jessie Pinkman. And the show itself won best Drama, the top award of the night (2 years in a row). It’s over now, so no more filming, although they are now filming a spinoff, ‘Better Call Saul’ in Albuquerque. Both Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul fell in love with the area and bought houses here, which they are keeping even though the show is over. Bryan Cranston gave a shout out to New Mexico last night during his acceptance speech.
There are ‘Breaking Bad’ bus tours that will take you to different filming locations around town. They are constantly booked. There is blue rock candy everywhere. Blue donuts (if you’ve seen the show, you’ll know what I’m talking about). The Albuquerque, New Mexico economy has benefited greatly from having Breaking Bad here for the past few years.
We’ll see how Better Call Saul does. Usually spinoffs don’t fare well, but you never know. It may do well just because Breaking Bad has a huge following. It (BB) currently has a 9.6 rating on IMDB. I believe it’s the highest rated TV show on that site. For a movie or TV show to get above a 9 is rare (The Shawshank Redemption is the highest rated movie with a 9.3). Fun fact: The exterior that they use for Saul’s office is right next door to the local store where I buy dog food. Ha ha.
I drive by I-25 Studios twice a day (on my way to work and back) and lately the lot is always packed with cars and trailers. It’s a little exciting. I always think…who’s in there? What are they doing? When will the movie come out?
So next time you watch a movie, look to see where it was filmed! Maybe it was in my neck of the woods.
