{"id":55,"date":"2021-06-17T17:38:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-17T17:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextlevelpictures.com\/?p=55"},"modified":"2021-11-09T16:09:49","modified_gmt":"2021-11-09T16:09:49","slug":"movies-filmed-location-arizona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextlevelpictures.com\/locations\/movies-filmed-location-arizona\/","title":{"rendered":"Movies Filmed in Arizona"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s no wonder that Arizona has been the location for so many films over the last century. They’ve got three national parks: Grand Canyon National Park, Saguaro National Park, and Petrified Forest National Park. And twenty-one national monuments, memorials, and historic sites, including Canyon de Chelly Monument in Chinle, which was settled by the Navajo tribe way back in 2500 B.C.E.<\/p>\n

Even the climate, which consists of semi-arid, arid, and humid depending on where in the state you are, is unique and varied. While it’s not a surprise to see so many Westerns on this list, after all, Arizona is an integral part of the Wild West. Films like 1990’s Young Guns II (Tumacacori National Historic Park) and 1987’s The Quick and the Dead (various locations including Coconino National Forest in Flagstaff) would probably be entirely different movies if their scenes were shot somewhere else, were part of a set that was built, or even worse, completely digitized with green screens.<\/p>\n

But there is a long list of other films that were shot (either in part or total) on location in the state that the saguaro cacti call home, like 1987’s Can’t Buy Me Love (Tucson) and The Karate Kid (various locations, including Sedona). And there are probably a lot of films on the list that you would never have guessed had parts filmed in the Grand Canyon State, like 1994’s Shawshank Redemption (set in Maine, but parts shot in Yuma) and 1998’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (set in Las Vegas, but parts shot in Kingman).<\/p>\n

And these movies are just the tip of a very large iceberg…right ahead. See below for a thorough list of flicks that were filmed in the sixth-largest state in the US.<\/p>\n

Movies Filmed in the State of Arizona<\/h2>\n

Young Guns II (1990)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"Young<\/a><\/p>\n

(Rent – Buy – Stream)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Young Guns II is a Geoff Murphy-directed sequel to the 1988 American western film Young Guns. Starring Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, and Lou Diamond Philips.<\/p>\n

The film, which tells the life story of Billy the Kid in the years after the Lincoln Country War, had scenes shot in Tumacacori National Park in Arizona, located in Santa Cruz County. This historical park is also home to three National Historic Landmark Sites.<\/p>\n

Other shooting locations within Arizona include Bisbee, Sonoran Desert, and the Tuscon and Sierrita mountains.<\/p>\n

1h 44min | PG-13<\/p>\n

The Quick and the Dead (1995)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"The<\/a>(Rent – Buy – Stream)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Sam Raimi’s The Quick and the Dead, which stars big Hollywood names like Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Gene Hackman, is a revisionist Western film that follows Ellen, who came to the town of Redemption seeking revenge.<\/p>\n

The original filming location was supposed to be Mexico, but it eventually moved to different locations in Arizona, such as the Old Tucson Studios, Mescal, and the Sonoran Desert.<\/p>\n

The movie initially received mixed reviews but eventually gained cult status, with praises for Raimi’s directing and Stone’s performance.<\/p>\n

1h 47min | R<\/p>\n

Can’t Buy Me Love (1987)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"Can't<\/a><\/p>\n

(Rent – Buy – Stream)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

This 1987 romantic teen comedy, directed by Steve Rash, tells the story of an outcast (played by Patrick Dempsey) paying a popular high school girl (Amanda Peterson) a thousand dollars to pretend to be his girlfriend.<\/p>\n

The film is set in Arizona, where the filming took place. It was shot on location in Tucson, at the Tucson High Magnet School, as well as other locations such as the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, The Loft Cinema, and Pima Air Museum.<\/p>\n

1h 34min | PG-13<\/p>\n

The Karate Kid (1984)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

(Rent – Buy – Stream)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The Karate Kid, directed by John Avildsen, is one of the most popular martial arts drama films. Starring Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso and Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi, it’s the first installment of what would eventually be a film franchise.<\/p>\n

The film had different shooting locations in California<\/a> (such as Calabasas, Malibu, and Los Angeles), but it also has scenes shot in Arizona, namely the Oak Creek Canyon, Phoenix, and Sedona.<\/p>\n

2h 6min | PG<\/p>\n