Those Who Wish Me Dead is a 2021 action-thriller directed by Taylor Sheridan, the writer behind hits like Sicario and Hell or High Water. This was actually his very first time directing a movie. It stars Angelina Jolie, along with Nicholas Hoult, Jon Bernthal, Aidan Gillen, and young actor Finn Little. The story is based on a novel by Michael Koryta.
The plot follows Hannah, a firefighter called a smokejumper, who still feels guilty about a fire she couldn’t stop in time. A boy named Connor watches his dad get killed by two hitmen, then runs into the woods carrying a secret his father died protecting. Hannah finds Connor and tries to keep him alive, even as the killers set off a huge wildfire to cover their tracks.
The movie hit theaters on May 14, 2021, and streamed at the same time on HBO Max for a full month, through Warner Bros. Pictures.
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When and Where Was Those Who Wish Me Dead Filmed?
| Film Name | Those Who Wish Me Dead |
| Genres | Action, Drama, Thriller |
| Filming Locations | New Mexico (Rio Arriba, Bernalillo, Sandoval & Torrance counties; Santa Clara Pueblo; Albuquerque) |
| Filming Dates | Late May–early July 2019 |
| Cinematography by | Ben Richardson |
| Release Date | May 14, 2021 |
Even though the story is set in Montana, Those Who Wish Me Dead was actually filmed entirely in New Mexico. Production ran about 41 days, from late May to early July 2019, according to the New Mexico Film Office.
📍 Rio Arriba County and the Jemez Mountains
Much of the wilderness footage came from Rio Arriba County, up in the northern part of New Mexico near the Colorado border. Director Taylor Sheridan told the Albuquerque Journal that the Jemez Mountains gave his crew the rugged, wild look the Montana setting needed.
📍 The Manzano Mountains and Torrance County
The Manzano Mountains State Park, along with nearby Torrance County, supplied the thick forest backdrop for many outdoor scenes. Sheridan specifically called the “wooded foothills of the Manzanos” one of the spots that convinced him New Mexico was the right choice.
For the film’s big wildfire scenes, the crew actually built a fake forest in the desert, then treated the trees so they could be safely set on fire. Real firefighters stood by on set the entire time to keep the flames under control.
📍 Santa Clara Pueblo
The production also filmed at Santa Clara Pueblo, a Native American community in northern New Mexico. Sheridan named this as one of the very first places his team scouted while looking for the right wild scenery.
📍 Albuquerque and Moriarty
Scenes were also shot around Albuquerque, where the crew wrapped filming in early July 2019, according to local station KRQE. The production reportedly employed more than 675 New Mexico cast and crew members.
IMDb also lists a TA Travel Center in the small town of Moriarty, New Mexico as a filming spot. That detail hasn’t shown up in any other source we found, so treat it as extra trivia rather than a fully confirmed fact.
📍 The District Attorney’s House
Early in the movie, two hitmen pose as gas company workers to get inside a district attorney’s house, then rig it to blow up. That two-story Mediterranean-style home was designed by Eric Spurlock Custom Home Design, a custom home firm based in Albuquerque, New Mexico — the firm’s own Instagram account, @ericspurlockhomedesigns, has shared photos of the property.
Those Who Wish Me Dead Behind the Scenes
To make your search for Those Who Wish Me Dead filming even more interesting, here’s some behind-the-scenes detail we found.
Warner Bros.’ own on-set photographer, Emerson Miller, captured Angelina Jolie and director Taylor Sheridan together on the New Mexico set, giving an early look at just how physical and grounded the shoot really was.
While promoting the film, Jolie told Fox News she came away with “a huge amount of respect” for real smokejumpers after training for the role and spending time with them during the shoot.
Building that giant fake forest also came with a funny side effect — birds, squirrels, snakes, and mice all moved into the fabricated trees once they went up in the New Mexico desert, Sheridan said.
Is there a trailer available for Those Who Wish Me Dead?
Yes. Warner Bros. Pictures released the official trailer on April 7, 2021, giving fans their first look at Jolie’s smokejumper character battling both hitmen and a raging wildfire.
The trailer dropped about five weeks ahead of the movie’s May 14, 2021 release, when it hit theaters and HBO Max on the very same day.
FAQs
Where was Those Who Wish Me Dead filmed?
It was filmed entirely in New Mexico, even though the story takes place in Montana.
When did filming take place?
Filming ran for about 41 days, from late May to early July 2019.
What New Mexico locations were used?
The crew filmed across Rio Arriba, Bernalillo, Sandoval, and Torrance counties, plus Santa Clara Pueblo and Albuquerque.
Who stars in the movie?
The cast includes Angelina Jolie, Finn Little, Nicholas Hoult, Jon Bernthal, Aidan Gillen, Medina Senghore, and Tyler Perry.
Can you visit the real filming locations?
Yes — places like Manzano Mountains State Park are open to the public. Santa Clara Pueblo is a tribal community, so some areas may need permission to visit.
When and where can I watch Those Who Wish Me Dead?
It released on May 14, 2021, in theaters and on HBO Max.
New Mexico’s wide-open deserts and mountains gave Those Who Wish Me Dead the rugged, wild feeling it needed to bring Montana to life on screen. From the Jemez Mountains to a fake forest built just for the fire scenes, the state played a big part in making this thriller feel real.
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