Mesilla Valley has been busy with film crews and movie stars lately. Wow! Seems that when the dust settles there will have been 4 major films produced with some of their filming here in Las Cruces. This is so exciting to see!
Some of the movie stars filming here are Bruce Willis, Mel Gibson, Ryan Phillipe, Kate Bosworth and Ving Rhames. Chupa which stars Demián Bichir, Evan Whitten (Big Sky, Mr. Robot), Ashley Ciarra (The Dropout), and Nickolas Verdugo in the leading roles and Cowboys & Aliens star Julio Cesar Cedillo.
According to the Las Cruces Sun News the “Filming of “The Locksmith” is scheduled to begin Monday and last through Dec. 17 within Doña Ana County. The feature film produced by Mark David and Roger Goff stars stars Ryan Phillippe (“MacGruber,” “Big Sky”), Kate Bosworth (“The Long Road Home,” “Force of Nature”) and Ving Rhames (“Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” “Pulp Fiction”)”
The movie Locksmith will be filming on Nov 16-Nov 24 near the intersection of Solano Drive and East Madrid Avenue but they will be filming until Dec 17th in the area.
The Netflix movie being filmed partly in Mesilla is Chupa, follows Alex (Evan Whitten), a teenager who meets an unlikely companion while visiting his family in Mexico when he discovers a mythical creature (young chupacabra) hiding on his grandfather’s (Demián Bichir) ranch. Alex and his cousins (Nickolas Verdugo and Ashley Ciarra) must embark on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure to save the young chupacabra. Reference
At the time of this post they are just wrapping up filming of Chupa in Old Mesilla this week where they have turned the street next to La Posta de Mesilla into a Mexican mercado. Here are some photos from this last week while they were filming.
Notice the Mexican Flag flying over the plaza 😀 that is NOT the first time it has flown here I am sure.
We were really surprised at the large number of support vehicles and trucks they brought to Mesilla. Geez all of the parking was full of their trucks and gear. It was so exciting to see all of the people working on this film right here in town. So many of the crew was hired here locally thanks to Film Las Cruces as well as from other parts of New Mexico. Santa Fe and Albuquerque and other parts of New Mexico have typically been used for more films and to have 3 films back to back this fall in Las Cruces is really encouraging especially after surviving COVID lockdowns.
Some film support vehicles in Mesilla
From what I could tell all of the film crew and those associated with this film Chupa were very respectful and friendly. Just look how clean their area is. Very professional.
Billy the Kid Gift Shop
I was talking with the team at Billy the Kid Giftshop and they mentioned that they had to sign an NDA so really couldn’t talk about the film with anyone but what they did share is that they had a ton of phone calls, texts and social media messages with people concerned and upset about the changes to their building. LOL. Wow people are very protective about their historic shops in Mesilla. But rest assured that everything is just fine. Seems that the film crews are very experienced at doing this type of thing. The way I understand it they put a plastic wrap over the existing building signs and then when they leave they just have to remove them and everything will be back to normal, just like it has always been.
Billy the Kid Gift Shop before the movie transformation
Billy the Kid Giftshop transformed into an old Mexican pharmacy
They filmed inside of La Posta de Mesilla and in and around the Plaza. We can’t wait to see Mesilla in the Movies.
Local Economic Impact
I have seen mention that the local economic impact is in the millions of dollars. Maybe Film Las Cruces can share more about this but the impact is huge and welcomed for sure in this area. We hope to see more filming here in Las Cruces in the near future.
Tell us about your experiences with the local movies. Did you get to meet any of the movie stars when they were in town? Got photos? please share and share your stories.
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