The Shanghai Noon Drumheller connection is official, since Disney’s own film reference says the Drumheller area, near Calgary, Alberta, doubled for Nevada. The Town of Drumheller agrees and lists Shanghai Noon among the productions that have filmed in the valley.
The movie came out on May 26, 2000. Tom Dey directed it, Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson led the cast, and it was a Touchstone Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment production. So when Chon Wang squints across a dry horizon, that dust is Alberta’s.
Disney’s listing puts Jackie Chan as Chon Wang, Owen Wilson as Roy O’Bannon and Lucy Liu as Princess Pei Pei, with Roger Yuan as Lo Fong and Xander Berkeley as Van Cleef.
Drumheller pulled the same trick a year later.
According to the town, the desert scenes in Rat Race, from 2001, were shot there and stood in for Las Vegas and Silver City, Nevada. Two Nevada jobs in two years is a solid reputation for a town 90 minutes from Calgary.
The town has made it easy for crews, too. Drumheller requires a free film permit for theatrical films, TV programs, commercials and music videos shot on streets or property inside town limits. File it 14 business days ahead if street closures or traffic stoppages are involved, and 7 business days otherwise.
The valley has a bigger acting range than most people expect. The town’s film page says it and the nearby area have stood in for Afghanistan, Mexico and Mars. The film office sits at 224 Centre Street, and drone operators need a separate Drone Use Application under the town’s Policy C-07-19. Drumheller is 80 minutes from Calgary International Airport and three hours from Edmonton.
The same page names Fargo, The Revenant and Let Him Go. We’ve already covered Fargo in Calgary’s Inglewood and The Revenant in Kananaskis, and our look at the Alberta Film Commission explains some of the funding behind shoots like these. Another western worth knowing is Unforgiven, which built its town in the foothills.
Put Shanghai Noon on tonight, then plan the drive. The Badlands are closer than Nevada.
If this one hooked you, we think One Yellow Rabbit Turned Calgary January Into a Rodeo and The Edmonton International Film Festival Just Turned 40 are a good next read.
Quick answers
Yes. Disney’s film reference says the Drumheller area, near Calgary, Alberta, doubled for Nevada in Shanghai Noon, released May 26, 2000. The Town of Drumheller also lists the film among productions shot in the valley.
The Town of Drumheller’s film page lists Rat Race, Let Him Go, Ghostbusters Afterlife, The Revenant and the first season of Fargo. For Rat Race, from 2001, it says the desert scenes doubled for Las Vegas and Silver City, Nevada.
Yes. The Town of Drumheller requires a no fee film permit for theatrical films, TV programs, commercials and music videos on streets or property within town limits. Apply 14 business days ahead if closures are involved, and 7 business days otherwise.
Sources: D23, Shanghai Noon, Town of Drumheller, Film in Drumheller.
