One Mile: Chapter One is a 2026 American action thriller directed by Adam Davidson. The script comes from John Hlavin, TJ Brady and Rasheed Newson, based on a story by Hlavin and Josh Senter. Ryan Phillippe stars as a retired soldier, with Amélie Hoeferle, C. Thomas Howell, Sara Canning, Richard Harmon and Sage Linder in the cast.
The story happens in the woods, and the real woods used for it are on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. If you like to find out where your favorite movies were really shot, this one has some great spots to talk about.
Danny Beckett is a former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier. He wants to fix his broken bond with his teenage daughter, Alex, so he takes her on a road trip to visit colleges. On the way, they take a detour to a quiet lakeside campground. There they run into a secretive group that lives off the grid in the wilderness. Alex is taken, and Danny has to use every skill he has to get her back.
One Mile: Chapter One came out on February 20, 2026. It was released together with its sequel, One Mile: Chapter Two, on the same day.
The movie was released by Republic Pictures and Paramount. You can rent or buy it on digital platforms. It was produced by Kapital Entertainment and Nomadic Pictures.
Table of Contents
When and Where Was One Mile: Chapter One Filmed?
| Film Name | One Mile: Chapter One |
|---|---|
| Genres | Action, Thriller |
| Filming Locations | Port Alberni, Parksville, Qualicum Beach and Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada (Ladysmith also reported) |
| Filming Dates | Sep 9, 2024 to Nov 5, 2024 |
| Cinematography by | Alwyn Kumst (credited on Chapter Two) |
| Release Date | February 20, 2026 |
Production on One Mile started on September 9, 2024, in Victoria, and then moved up the island. The crew shot Chapter One and Chapter Two back to back. According to local film office news, most of the work was planned for Parksville, Qualicum Beach and Port Alberni. A later report gives the Vancouver Island shooting dates as September 9 to October 26, 2024.
📍McLean Mill National Historic Site, Port Alberni
The old sawmill in Port Alberni looks like the home of the hostile, off-the-grid group in the movie. The site was closed to the public for a few weeks so the crew could work there, and one report says it stayed closed until October 26, 2024. One of the producers said the place was so cinematic that the team could never have built it on a set. The weathered wood, the machinery and the thick forest around it fit the dangerous mood of the story very well. You can read more in this set report from Port Alberni.
📍Parksville
After Port Alberni, the crew spent three days on a private property on Lodgepole Drive in Parksville. The exact scenes shot here have not been shared yet. Producers did say the story mostly takes place in the woods, so the town and its quiet surroundings gave the team room to work. The town itself is used to film crews, and it has a local page for filming requests.
📍Qualicum Beach
A gas station in Qualicum Beach was dressed up to look like a stop in a college town called Larksburg. Photos from the set show Danny and Alex there during the road trip part of the story. This is the calm part of the movie, before the trouble starts. The small-town feel of Qualicum Beach helped make the trip look like a normal, everyday drive. See the set photo report for more.
📍Victoria
Victoria is where the cameras first rolled. A producer said the team used some island locations to stand in for universities during the college tour scenes, though the exact places have not been shared. Victoria is also a busy film city. Another movie shot there recently is Absolutely Devoted to You, a Hallmark romance set in New York but filmed in Victoria.
📍Ladysmith
Ladysmith is also listed as a filming spot for the two movies. A local news story says the cast and crew liked their time on the island. We could not confirm which scenes were filmed in Ladysmith, so we will update this part when we know more.
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Apart from Vancouver Island, IMDb lists a few more places for One Mile: Chapter One. These are Vancouver and Port Alberni in British Columbia, along with Portland, Oregon, Dublin, Ireland and Manchester, England. The Portland note says it covers aerial shots of the Fremont Bridge and Powell’s Books.
The places outside Canada may be quick aerial or establishing shots rather than full days on set, but nothing official confirms this. We will update this section as soon as the production shares more details.
One Mile: Chapter One Behind the Scenes
The idea for One Mile came from Jaiden Kaplan, the daughter of producer Aaron Kaplan. She got it in 2019 while on a college tour with her dad, driving past lonely woods and frozen lakes. Ryan Phillippe also worked as a producer on the movies. The producers said the main reason they came to Vancouver Island was producer Michael Lohmann, who helped bring the shoot there.
To make your search even more interesting for One Mile: Chapter One Filming Details, We will add official behind-the-scenes photos and cast posts here.
Is There Any Trailer Available for One Mile: Chapter One?
Yes, the official trailer for One Mile: Chapter One is available. Republic Pictures released it on February 5, 2026, and it is also on the Paramount Movies YouTube channel.
One Mile: Chapter One came out on February 20, 2026. It was released together with its sequel, One Mile: Chapter Two, on the same day, by Republic Pictures and Paramount.
FAQs
Q1: Where was One Mile: Chapter One filmed?
A1: One Mile: Chapter One was filmed on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The main places were Port Alberni, Parksville, Qualicum Beach and Victoria. Ladysmith has also been reported.
Q2: What scenes were filmed at McLean Mill?
A2: McLean Mill National Historic Site in Port Alberni appears to be the home of the off-the-grid community in One Mile: Chapter One. The exact scenes have not been officially listed.
Q3: When did filming for One Mile: Chapter One begin?
A3: Filming started on September 9, 2024, in Victoria. The Vancouver Island shoot was reported to run until October 26, 2024, while one early report said it could last into early November.
Q4: Can I visit the filming locations of One Mile: Chapter One?
A4: Some of them, yes. McLean Mill is a historic site in Port Alberni, and Victoria, Parksville and Qualicum Beach are open towns. The property on Lodgepole Drive in Parksville is private, so please do not go there.
Q5: Was One Mile: Chapter Two filmed in the same places?
A5: Yes, as far as we know. The two films were shot back to back on Vancouver Island, so the locations are shared.
One Mile: Chapter One was filmed across Port Alberni, Parksville, Qualicum Beach and Victoria on Vancouver Island, with McLean Mill as the most striking spot. The dark woods and old mill made a believable hiding place for a dangerous group, and the towns gave the story its everyday road trip feel. For more shows and films shot in British Columbia, try the forest series Blue Skies, or browse other titles filmed across Canada. We will keep adding new filming-location guides, so check back soon. You can also read more about the movie on its Wikipedia page.
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