From Breaking Bad to Tulsa King: 7 Film and TV Projects That Significantly Changed Locations

      Here are seven film and television projects that changed their original settings, from Anchorman to Breaking Bad.

      **Blade Runner**

      Harrison Ford in Blade Runner (1982) – Credit: Warner Bros

      The 2019 portrayal of Los Angeles in 1982’s Blade Runner is visually stunning, filled with neon lights, massive video displays, and flying vehicles.

      However, the story by Philip K. Dick, “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” is actually set a few hundred miles north in San Francisco.

      And unfortunately, Los Angeles and San Francisco still do not have flying cars.

      **Carrie**

      Sissy Spacek in Carrie before things take a turn – Credit: United Artists

      Like many of Stephen King’s novels, his 1974 debut, Carrie, was based in Maine.

      The film adaptation was filmed in California, as is common with most American films, but Sissy Spacek’s Southern accent implies that the story is either set in the South or that she and her mother have moved from below the Mason-Dixon line.

      One could argue that Spacek, a Texan, is simply using her natural accent—but that doesn’t clarify why so many other actors in Carrie, including New Jersey native John Travolta in his first role, also have Southern accents.

      **Extraction**

      Ciudad, the inspiration for Extraction, was set in Paraguay. – Credit: Netflix

      Sam Hargrave’s action-thriller Extraction from 2020 features Chris Hemsworth as a mercenary tasked with rescuing a kidnapped child. It is based on the graphic novel Ciudad by Andre Parks, but the screenplay by Joe Russo relocates the story to Bangladesh.

      While the film is known for its impressive 12-minute continuous fight sequence, it was actually filmed in Ahmedabad, India, not Bangladesh—Hargrave shared that they aimed to incorporate “every stunt possible” into that scene. Extraction 2, released in 2023, features a sequence that surpasses it.

      **Breaking Bad**

      The boys – Credit: AMC

      “You weren’t just a host; you were a character in the show,” Bryan Cranston told an audience in Albuquerque, New Mexico last year when unveiling statues of his character, Walter White, alongside Aaron Paul’s Jesse Pinkman. (These were commissioned and donated by Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan.)

      Albuquerque played a significant role in Breaking Bad, but it might have been set in San Bernardino, California. Before New Mexico attracted the show with tax incentives, Vince Gilligan had originally intended for it to take place near Los Angeles, as indicated in the first Breaking Bad pilot script.

      Ultimately, Breaking Bad brought great benefits to New Mexico, inspiring the successful spinoff Better Call Saul and drawing many other productions to film throughout the state.

      **Tulsa King**

      Kansas City lost out on tax incentives for Tulsa King – Credit: Paramount+

      In another circumstance where tax incentives made a crucial difference, the Sylvester Stallone mob drama Tulsa King was initially set in Kansas City. However, Oklahoma’s tax incentives persuaded creator Taylor Sheridan and his team to shift the filming location.

      Steph Shannon, director of the Kansas City Film Office, expressed her team’s disappointment over the decision and their commitment to secure tax incentives that would keep other productions in the area.

      At least Tulsa King has effectively utilized its new setting, with Tulsa’s unique feature, The Center of the Universe, perfectly aligning with the show’s themes.

      **Eyes Wide Shut**

      Vienna calling for Tom Cruise in Eyes Wide Shut – Credit: Warner Bros

      The 1999 Stanley Kubrick film is set in modern New York City, yet it often appears to look nothing like the city. This is because much of the production took place in England.

      This disorienting sense of location serves the film well, based on Arthur Schnitzler's 1962 novel Traumnovelle, which was originally set in Vienna a century prior to 1999. The main characters, played by Cruise and Kidman, experience feelings of confusion and aimlessness as they discover their marriage isn't as stable as they presumed.

      One scene in Eyes Wide Shut where New York clearly resembles New York features Scottish actor Alan Cumming, who delivers a solid American accent along with an ad-lib that Kubrick enjoyed so much he requested multiple takes.

      **Anchorman**

      Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) and Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) in Anchorman, which was originally set in Portland. – Credit: Dreamworks Pictures

      If you visit the excellent screenwriting site StudioBinder, you can download an early draft of the Anchorman script by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. Many aspects from the script carry over to the final film — with Ferrell’s character having a similar self-satisfied demeanor in both versions — along with some noticeable cosmetic alterations.

      One major change is the script’s original setting in Portland, Oregon. Consequently, none of the jokes regarding the origins of San Dee-ah-go’s name are present