Where was The Amateur filmed?

Nivedita Dubey
April 12, 2025

Summary:

The Amateur (2025) was filmed across London, France, Turkey, and Pinewood Studios.
Director James Hawes avoided iconic landmarks to create a grounded espionage tone.
Most Langley sequences were recreated in the UK, not the U.S.

The Amateur (2025), starring Rami Malek, was filmed in multiple international locations to match the film’s global spy thriller narrative. Director James Hawes selected urban spaces with authentic textures, avoiding traditional tourist hotspots to deliver a realistic espionage setting. Below is a breakdown of the film’s key shooting locations and how they shaped the story’s visual world.

Where Was The Amateur (2025) Filmed in London, England?

London served as a core location for The Amateur, with filming starting in June 2023. The city anchors the emotional beginning of the story, where Charlie Heller’s wife, Sarah, is killed in a terrorist attack.

The St Pancras Renaissance Hotel was used as the fictional “Christopher Hotel,” the scene of Sarah’s death. The location appears through CCTV and mobile phone footage, giving it a raw, surveillance-heavy feel. The name “Christopher Hotel” was chosen over branding-sensitive options like “Royal Railway Hotel.”
Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank doubled as the CIA’s Langley entrance, designed as part of a composite headquarters using UK locations.
St Anthony’s College, Oxford, appears in scenes set inside Langley’s canteen, while the Old Heinz Headquarters in Hayes was transformed into Langley’s parking area.
Interior Langley scenes were completed at a former nuclear base in Aldermaston, selected for its concrete-heavy, institutional aesthetic.
Additional footage was captured across southeast England, offering a mix of urban and suburban environments essential to grounding the film’s espionage plot in a contemporary setting.

How Was France Used in The Amateur (2025) Filming?

France featured prominently in the film’s international sequences, especially in Paris and Marseille. The country provided tense backdrops for espionage scenes while offering financial incentives via the Tax Rebate for International Productions.

In Paris, Charlie is shown tracking a target to an apartment, including a lock-picking sequence. While specific addresses were not disclosed, director James Hawes avoided filming at tourist icons like the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre to retain a low-profile, espionage atmosphere.

Marseille offered more high-impact action, including a bar confrontation between Charlie and Henderson, culminating in an explosion. The city’s blend of urban grit and Mediterranean coastline contributed to the film’s visual variety and chase-heavy pacing.

Support from Provence Studios helped with logistics and post-production, ensuring the film could remain mobile across France’s demanding urban environments.

What Role Did Turkey Play in the Filming of The Amateur (2025)?

Istanbul, Turkey, served as a major location for Charlie’s covert mission late in the film. Here, he is smuggled into the country to pursue a target at a luxury hotel.

The city’s unique blend of historic architecture and modern skylines was key to Hawes’s goal of finding settings that felt exotic yet grounded. Filming resumed in December 2023—after a pause due to the SAG-AFTRA strike—and Turkey marked a turning point in the story’s progression toward its climax.

These sequences are visually distinctive, offering contrasts in tone and texture compared to the film’s earlier scenes in London and France.

What Studio and U.S. Locations Were Used for The Amateur (2025)?

For controlled sequences, the production relied on Pinewood Studios in the UK. These sets likely hosted scenes that required tight control, including CIA interiors, safe house setups, and technology-focused scenes like Charlie’s hacking sequences.

Although parts of the film are set in Langley, Virginia, most of those scenes were recreated in the UK using composite architecture. However, the film includes a brief shot of Washington, D.C., such as a wide view of the Washington Monument in the opening sequence, to establish geographic context.

This limited U.S. footage underscores the director’s choice to prioritize European locations for both financial and creative reasons.

Why Were These Locations Chosen for The Amateur (2025)?

Director James Hawes worked closely with former intelligence operatives to ensure the film’s settings felt authentic to modern espionage. His stated aim was to design a “chess board” of environments, each representing different stakes and emotional tones in Charlie’s journey.

Avoiding landmarks like Big Ben or the Eiffel Tower, Hawes focused on realistic, less recognizable locations. This choice helped maintain the illusion of global movement without cliché visuals.

Additionally, the selected countries—UK, France, and Turkey—offered a strong mix of financial incentives, local production support, and visual contrast, making them ideal for a modern spy thriller.

Was Madrid Used in The Amateur (2025)?

Although Madrid is mentioned in the story as a place where Charlie tracks a target, it was not used as a filming location. Sources confirming filming in Spain have been misattributed. The relevant scenes were filmed in France or Turkey, likely chosen for budget and visual suitability.

This correction is essential for maintaining accuracy, as several unofficial sources have repeated the Madrid filming claim without verification.

Additional Production and Release Details

Filming Timeline:

Principal photography started in June 2023.
The production paused in July 2023 due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Filming resumed in December 2023 and wrapped in early 2024.

Technical Credits:

Directed by James Hawes
Cinematography by Martin Ruhe, known for using menacing compositions and tight camera work to convey psychological pressure.

Release Details:

The Amateur was released in U.S. theaters on April 11, 2025.
Streaming details are pending but the film is expected to debut on Hulu later in 2025, following 20th Century Studios’ streaming model.

Source: Soap Central

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