I saw The Lone Ranger the day after it hit theaters, and by then, both movie critics and moviegoers had slammed the movie mercilessly, calling it a jumbled mess and the worst movie they’d ever seen. Genre: Action, Adventure, Western, RemakeĬast: Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, William Fichtner, Tom Wilkinson, Ruth Wilson, Helena Bonham Carter, James Badge Dale MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence, and some suggestive material
Among these productions are The Grapes of Wrath, Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, Crazy Heart, No Country for Old Men, and Breaking Bad.įor more information on filming in New Mexico, visit the New Mexico Film Office (a Reel-Scout client).Destination: New Mexico, Colorado, California, Utah, Arizona Over 600 movies and television shows have been filmed in New Mexico. “To be able to complete one of the most anticipated films of the summer is a great thing for us.”įor more details on The Lone Ranger setting up camp in New Mexico, read this article. “It’s a nice feather in our hat,” he said. Rauschenberger believes The Lone Ranger will entice other productions to shoot in New Mexico. The Lone Ranger is just the latest example of that.” We’ve now demonstrated from all ends of the spectrum that we have the staff and crews here to handle big budget films. “We did a good job at meeting the requirements, and Disney got feedback from Marvel about how we were capable to do a film like this. “With The Lone Ranger, we’re able to show production companies that we can convert our area into anything,” said Rauschenberger. Other productions shot at the studios were The Avengers, Book of Eli and Terminator: Salvation. Wayne Rauschenberger, chief operating officer at Albuquerque Studios, said The Lone Ranger is the first Western made at the studios. “To get this done has been a challenge, and I think that you’re going to get a sense of how epic it is and the scale of the undertaking it was for everybody involved.” “We had the movie shut down because of blizzards, lightning strikes, floods, and sandstorms,” said Hammer. It was strong enough (25 to 70 mph) to earn the nickname “The Devil’s Sandbox.” The windy weather forced the crew to wear scarves, bandanas and goggles over their faces for protection. In The Lone Ranger’s case, it was the Rio Puerco Valley wind. Sometimes, that also means a strong dose of reality. The Perks of Filming on Location in New Mexicoįilming on location brings much authenticity to the movie. In addition to Utah and New Mexico, the production also filmed in Colorado, Arizona, Texas and California.
The Pajarito Mountains provided the dramatic setting for the last stand of the Comanche warriors.The Gilman Tunnels in Jemez were the backdrop for the train scenes.The Valles Caldera National Preserve was the setting of the Comanche warriors’ village.The natural rock formation of Plaza Blanca in Abiquiú stood in for the “Valley of Tears” locations.Lamy where the Hell on Wheels and Reid Farm scenes were shot.In addition to the Rio Puerco Valley, the production also filmed at a few other New Mexico locations including: For most of the three months, Rio Puerco also served as the home base of operations for the The Lone Ranger. Rio Puerco, located 36 miles west of the Duke City, was transformed into two towns, Colby and Promontory Summit, both of which are featured prominently in the film. With Armie Hammer as the iconic masked hero and Johnny Depp as the mysteriousTonto, The Lone Rangerwas filmed in 16 New Mexico locations, including Shiprock, Angel Fire, and Valles Caldera. The production also filmed for three months last year in New Mexico, in and around the Rio Puerco Valley. We also mentioned in the same article that Utah wasn’t the only state featured in the Disney blockbuster. In an article published earlier this week, we wrote about The Lone Ranger‘s Utah film locations.