Two Hollywood films complete shoots in Iceland

Two Hollywood films were shot in Iceland this summer, drawing attention as their production crews travelled around the country, mbl.is reports. Filming on a third project, Tesseract, was postponed.

The production of Elden Ring was considered highly successful and ended earlier this month. People familiar with Iceland’s film industry told Morgunblaðið that the weather and planning worked well, although schedules for overseas productions in Iceland sometimes have to change because of weather.

Local production company Pegasus handled the work in Iceland. Its managing director, Erlendur Cassata, declined to comment on the production when approached by the newspaper.

Elden Ring production employed about 150 people

Elden Ring is an action film based on the popular video game of the same name. Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin created the game’s fictional world and is one of the film’s producers. Alex Garland wrote and directed the film.

Two of the film’s leading actors, Ben Whishaw and Kit Connor, took part in the Iceland shoot. Whishaw played Q in the recent James Bond films and voiced Paddington in recent cinema releases. Sources told Morgunblaðið that the actors enjoyed their stay, stayed at the Edition hotel when they were in Reykjavík and took part in the city’s nightlife.

The shoot was extensive, with about 150 people on set at its busiest. Dozens of Icelandic extras were involved, and the production had 14 shooting days, considered a significant amount for an international film project in Iceland.

The scale of the production required substantial local services. Morgunblaðið reported that dozens of hotel rooms were rented. In places where no hotel rooms were available, including Höfn in Hornafjörður, more than 100 motorhomes were rented. Catering and other services were also bought for the large group.

Filming took place in protected areas

The production filmed in several parts of the country. Permit applications submitted to the Icelandic Environment Agency, which authorises filming in protected areas, covered Hnausapollar in Fjallabak, the cliff edge by the car park at Háifoss, Hverdalir in Kerlingarfjöll and Ófærafoss in Vatnajökull National Park.

The road to Háifoss had to be closed during filming. The producers estimated that about 120 people would be involved at Háifoss, with the number of vehicles not yet known. A further 120 people were expected at Emstrur. Smaller groups were reported at Kerlingarfjöll, Ófærafoss, Stokksnes and Fjallabak.

Jason Bateman filmed for Netflix

Hollywood actor Jason Bateman was also in Iceland recently. His visit made the news when he ate at the Hornid restaurant, but it was not initially reported that he was there to film a movie.

Bateman, who has increasingly worked as a director in recent years, came to shoot several scenes for The Cackling of the Dodos, an upcoming Netflix film. According to IMDb.com, the film is about a farmer who finds a body and becomes involved in various exercises with his boss.