Filming Locations Guide: Where was Blade Runner 2049 filmed?
Posted by Ra Moon
The sequel to Ridley Scott’s classic sci-fi masterpiece arrives 35 years later. Greeted with strong reviews, Blade Runner 2049 feels like an extension of the original movie that featured stunning visual environments, a mind-blowing story, and the unforgettable soundtrack from Vangelis.
Blade Runner 2049 was primarily filmed in Budapest, at Origo and Korda Studios, although additional shooting also took place in Spain, Iceland, Mexico, and Nevada in the United States.
Blade Runner 2049 was primarily filmed in Budapest, at Origo and Korda Studios, although additional shooting also took place in Spain, Iceland, Mexico, and Nevada in the United States.
The Hungarian city provided world-class sound stages combined with beautiful Art Nouveau and Brutalist architecture.
The film is set in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, with the world suffocated by a toxic climate after the collapse of ecosystems the mid-2020s.
In this dystopian future, the powerful industrialist Niander Wallace (played by Jared Leto) acquired the remains of Tyrell Corp.
Tyrell was the original developer of the replicants who went bankrupt after their manufacture became prohibited because of a series of violent uprisings. The Wallace Corporation successfully created a new line of bioengineered humans who obey.
Ryan Gosling plays Officer K, an android hunter known as a “blade runner”, and Harrison Ford returns to his role as Rick Deckard. Ana de Armas plays K's gorgeous holographic AI girlfriend, Joi.
After delivering the acclaimed movie Arrival, Canadian film director Denis Villeneuve had the responsibility to give the 1982 cult classic a worthy sequel. He also directed the new highly anticipated epic science-fiction film Dune.
Congratulations. You’ve made it to the ultimate guide to Blade Runner 2049 filming locations. Now let’s get started:
Blade Runner 2049 Filming Locations
The movie opens with establishing shots in 2049 California. A small aerial unit was sent to Spain to film the Gemasolar Thermosolar Plant with a central tower located near Seville (pictured on top). There is only one solar plant, the rest were replicated via digital effects.
The lower picture shows the sea of greenhouses in El Ejido (AlmerÃa). The expansion of intensive farming in this southeast region of Andalucia, known as Campo de DalÃas, forms a huge white "plastic sea" visible from space.
(You can open all the locations on Google Maps by clicking on the links below in the captions ↴)
Image courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures - Maps: Power Station - El Ejido
Image courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures - Maps: Power Station - El Ejido
Agent KD 6-3.7 is a Los Angeles Police Department blade runner, who finds Nexus-8 replicant Sapper Morton (played by Dave Bautista, Drax the Destroyer in the films Guardians of the Galaxy) in a protein farm.
The aerial shot before landing was filmed in one of the volcanic black sand beaches located on Iceland's south coast. The farm with the white tree was filmed in a backlot of the studios in Budapest.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures - Map
After that, K goes back to LA with the Peugeot flying car with scissor doors. The aerial footage of the gloomy overcrowded city is from the slums in Mexico City.
Like in the original Blade Runner, some sections of the movie, including the LAPD tower, were made using miniatures crafted by the Weta Workshop company in New Zealand. LAPD stands for Los Angeles Police Department.
The exterior shots of K's apartment and the snowy street where Ryan Gosling walks down were filmed at the junction of Szalay and Honvéd streets in Budapest.
Image by courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures and Google Maps
The pyramidal shape of the Wallace Corporation Earth Headquarters suggests that we are back to the original Tyrell Corporation complex.
The impressive archive hall is inspired by an unbuilt design for the Neanderthal Museum in Piloña, Spain, by Estudio Barozzi Veiga. Concept Artist for Blade Runner 2049, Peter Popken, had permission from the architectural firm to use a version of this image in the movie.
Images by courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures and Estudio Barozzi Veiga
Replicant Luv (played by Sylvia Hoeks) takes K to the old archives previous to the 2022 big blackout.
Do the amazing interiors of Wallace Corporation exist somewhere? All these rooms were built, with some CGI involved, between Origo and Korda Studios in Budapest.
This corridor is inspired by a room in Casa Gilardi in Mexico City (lower picture), designed by Modernist architect Luis Barragán.
Images by courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures and Elena MCH
K meets retired LAPD police officer E. Gaff (the guy who makes paper origamis, played by Edward James Olmos) at the Adria Palace located at Szabadság tér 16 (Liberty Square) in Budapest.
Built between 1900 and 1902, this magnificent run-down building has been featured in many productions, including A Good Day To Die Hard (2013), Atomic Blonde (2017), and more recently in Black Widow (2021).
Images by courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures - Map
You can only hang out in Bibi's bar in Blade Runner's fictional version of LA (and also, if you have a time-travel machine, in Comic-Con 2017, where the studio reproduced a replica of the cyberpunk cantina).
Following a clue, K tracks the child to an orphanage in San Diego District, transformed into a municipal waste processing area.
A section of the scrapyard was built in the backlot at Origo Studios. Massive satellite dishes have become the headquarters of Mister Cotton (played by Lennie James), the grim home of the unfortunate children who have to live and work there.
The spectacular interior of the boat in the shipyard was filmed in a soviet-era power plant, digitally altered to make it look rounder. The place is located in an old semi-abandoned industrial complex on the outskirts of Budapest.
After reports of vandalism to the building, we decided not to publish the exact location of this spot, although the latest reports say that, unfortunately, the plant is set to be demolished.
Memory designer Dr. Ana Stelline (played by Carla Juri) confirms that the childhood memory of a wooden toy horse is real.
The exterior of the Stelline Laboratories is a Brutalist building entirely designed by cutting-edge visual effects company Rodeo FX from Montreal. Rodeo FX has been involved in hundreds of projects since its founding in 2006, from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) to the hit Marvel series Loki.
According to producer Cynthia Yorkin, the interior set of the lab is based on the Cocoon in the Darwin Centre, the new wing of the Natural History Museum in London.
When K returns to his apartment, followed by Mariette (Mackenzie Davis), we can see a closer glimpse of the entrance door.
The door was modeled after the gates of the monumental Art Nouveau Széchenyi István building, a former secondary school at 9-11 Vas Street in Budapest. Built in 1912, the door has geometrical shapes reminiscent of Mayan architecture.
The digital effects of the erotic scene and several additional sequences of the film were created by the prestigious Double Negative motion picture company.
Image by courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures and Google Maps
The analysis of the high radiation in the toy horse sends K to the abandoned city of Las Vegas, in Nevada. Cinematographer Roger Deakins said to Variety that the orange hue of the old entertainment capital of the world was inspired by the Australian 2009 red dust storm.
A section of the broken giant statues and the facade of the casino, engulfed by the sandstorm, were also built on a set. The filmmakers tried to avoid using green screens and CGI as much as possible, filming on camera all the scenes that they could.
The interior of the vintage casino, tweaked with some CGI, was filmed on location at the old Budapest Stock Exchange Palace (also known as the MTV building) in Liberty Square.
Many productions have been using this vacant building for filming in the last few years. The 2021 movie Outside the Wire, the Netflix show Shadow and Bone, and the first season of the Hanna series were also filmed here.
Image by courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures and Rodeo FX - Map
The amazing "Holofunhouse" scene, featuring glitched holograms of Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe, was brilliantly developed by the visual effects company BUF with the help of 80 real dancers.
In 2049, the Holofunhouse is of an old generation of holograms, although considered the best of its day. Compared to the holograms of 2049 like Wallace's digital companions, Joi, these holograms were something like what VHS technology is to BluRay today.
In an interview with LMGI, location manager Emma Pill said that the place where K meets the Replicant Freedom Movement, with concrete pyramids coming down from the ceiling, is an actual location.
They found this weird space in the basement of a massive abandoned building somewhere in the Hungarian capital.
The Sepulveda Sea Wall scene was shot in a huge water tank that took eight weeks to build in the studios in Budapest.
Images by courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures and Tested
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19 comments:
1- Luis Moreno - October 8, 2017 at 1:34 AM
I think the aerial images at the begging of the movie, the big greenhouses area it's the part filmed in Spain. A place called El Ejido, in AlmerÃa, famous for being visible from space: https://goo.gl/maps/7FqtK8A2wf42
Reply
2- Ra Moon - October 8, 2017 at 2:15 PM
Thank you, Luis, updated!
3- JP Miss - October 12, 2017 at 3:57 AM
I think the aerial images of the solar power station at the beginning (just before the greenhouses) are from NOOR III solar power station near Ouarzazate Morocco:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouarzazate_Solar_Power_Station
https://goo.gl/maps/W5f4EpJwkj72
http://dilus.es/web2/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/gemasolar-600x375.jpg
Reply
4- Ra Moon - October 12, 2017 at 9:46 AM
Thank you, though this is not the power station seen in the movie.
5- JP Miss - October 12, 2017 at 5:29 AM
Edit to my previous post: in fact, it's more likely to be the Gemasolar Power Plan near Seville Spain which is not very far from the greenhouses (250 km):
https://goo.gl/maps/vie8w7H32KR2
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1393879/Gemasolar-Power-Plant-The-worlds-solar-power-station-generates-electricity-NIGHT.html
6- Bose - October 13, 2017 at 12:12 AM
I was curious, when did they begin filming, 2015?
Reply
7- Ra Moon - October 13, 2017 at 9:54 AM
In July 2016 in Budapest, Hungary.
8- Humberto J Betancourt - February
The steel scrap yard might be the ship recycling operation in Alang, India. Link:
hhttps://www.google.com/search?q=ship+breaking+alang&tbm=isch
9- Anonymous - October 31, 2017 at 1:01 PM
Hi guys, I'm in Budapest this week, trying to find this old Budapest Stock Exchange Palace building in Liberty Square, but I can't see it. Any help appreciated - is it around here?
https://goo.gl/maps/Yx9CBJdZ5wgHtPez7
Reply
10- Ra Moon - November 1, 2017 at 4:40 AM
Yes, it's easy. There's a link to the map in the caption of the image, with the exact location of the palace.
1- Luis Moreno - October 8, 2017 at 1:34 AM
I think the aerial images at the begging of the movie, the big greenhouses area it's the part filmed in Spain. A place called El Ejido, in AlmerÃa, famous for being visible from space: https://goo.gl/maps/7FqtK8A2wf42
Reply
2- Ra Moon - October 8, 2017 at 2:15 PM
Thank you, Luis, updated!
3- JP Miss - October 12, 2017 at 3:57 AM
I think the aerial images of the solar power station at the beginning (just before the greenhouses) are from NOOR III solar power station near Ouarzazate Morocco:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouarzazate_Solar_Power_Station
https://goo.gl/maps/W5f4EpJwkj72
http://dilus.es/web2/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/gemasolar-600x375.jpg
Reply
4- Ra Moon - October 12, 2017 at 9:46 AM
Thank you, though this is not the power station seen in the movie.
5- JP Miss - October 12, 2017 at 5:29 AM
Edit to my previous post: in fact, it's more likely to be the Gemasolar Power Plan near Seville Spain which is not very far from the greenhouses (250 km):
https://goo.gl/maps/vie8w7H32KR2
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1393879/Gemasolar-Power-Plant-The-worlds-solar-power-station-generates-electricity-NIGHT.html
6- Bose - October 13, 2017 at 12:12 AM
I was curious, when did they begin filming, 2015?
Reply
7- Ra Moon - October 13, 2017 at 9:54 AM
In July 2016 in Budapest, Hungary.
8- Humberto J Betancourt - February
The steel scrap yard might be the ship recycling operation in Alang, India. Link:
hhttps://www.google.com/search?q=ship+breaking+alang&tbm=isch
9- Anonymous - October 31, 2017 at 1:01 PM
Hi guys, I'm in Budapest this week, trying to find this old Budapest Stock Exchange Palace building in Liberty Square, but I can't see it. Any help appreciated - is it around here?
https://goo.gl/maps/Yx9CBJdZ5wgHtPez7
Reply
10- Ra Moon - November 1, 2017 at 4:40 AM
Yes, it's easy. There's a link to the map in the caption of the image, with the exact location of the palace.
11- Anonymous - November 14, 2017 at 6:47 AM
That railing, towards the end of the movie: what building is it in?
12- Angel Ascanio - February 13, 2018 at 5:51 PM
Where is located the 'beach' or seashore at the end of the movie?
13- Anonymous - February 25, 2018 at 8:40 AM
You can find K's apartment in Budapest at the crossing of Honved utca and Szalay utca:
https://goo.gl/maps/Wyzmf8Efd7T2
Reply
14- Ra Moon - February 25, 2018 at 4:54 PM
That's great, updated!
15- Anonymous - March 7, 2018 at 5:50 PM
Does anyone know where the exteriors of the “memory maker building” were shot? This is the building in the final scene where K lies down on the steps.
16- Anonymous - March 13, 2018 at 10:25 AM
According to this, the abandoned power plant is in Budapest, someone else has also visited it but unfortunately, there are no details where there exactly:
https://www.boredpanda.com/photos-cold-war-buildings-david-de-rueda/
As for the memory lab exterior, I don't believe it is a real building, in the Making of document on Blu-ray it seemed to be just a studio set.
17- Dean Wright - April 6, 2018 at 10:19 AM
Seen this? Can't figure out what he says the name of the Studio is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsy7P48EL2o
Reply
18- Ra Moon - April 23, 2018 at 9:19 PM
Very cool! We added this to the article. Thanks, Dean.
19- Anonymous - August 24, 2019 at 1:13 AM
Just to let you all know: K's apartment building in Budapest and the old stock exchange building (in Liberty Square) used for the casino are only 5 minutes walk from each other. Also (but of much lesser importance), the streets used for the moped/car chase sequence in 'Spy' are between St Stephens Basilica and Liberty Square. Note that as of August 2019, the very distinctive gold quarter circle handles of the 'casino entrance' are still in place and are very recognizable!
That railing, towards the end of the movie: what building is it in?
12- Angel Ascanio - February 13, 2018 at 5:51 PM
Where is located the 'beach' or seashore at the end of the movie?
13- Anonymous - February 25, 2018 at 8:40 AM
You can find K's apartment in Budapest at the crossing of Honved utca and Szalay utca:
https://goo.gl/maps/Wyzmf8Efd7T2
Reply
14- Ra Moon - February 25, 2018 at 4:54 PM
That's great, updated!
15- Anonymous - March 7, 2018 at 5:50 PM
Does anyone know where the exteriors of the “memory maker building” were shot? This is the building in the final scene where K lies down on the steps.
16- Anonymous - March 13, 2018 at 10:25 AM
According to this, the abandoned power plant is in Budapest, someone else has also visited it but unfortunately, there are no details where there exactly:
https://www.boredpanda.com/photos-cold-war-buildings-david-de-rueda/
As for the memory lab exterior, I don't believe it is a real building, in the Making of document on Blu-ray it seemed to be just a studio set.
17- Dean Wright - April 6, 2018 at 10:19 AM
Seen this? Can't figure out what he says the name of the Studio is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsy7P48EL2o
Reply
18- Ra Moon - April 23, 2018 at 9:19 PM
Very cool! We added this to the article. Thanks, Dean.
19- Anonymous - August 24, 2019 at 1:13 AM
Just to let you all know: K's apartment building in Budapest and the old stock exchange building (in Liberty Square) used for the casino are only 5 minutes walk from each other. Also (but of much lesser importance), the streets used for the moped/car chase sequence in 'Spy' are between St Stephens Basilica and Liberty Square. Note that as of August 2019, the very distinctive gold quarter circle handles of the 'casino entrance' are still in place and are very recognizable!
Ra Moon
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