Hell on Wheels Calgary history starts on Monday, May 16, 2011, the day AMC said production would begin. The network announced the western would be shot on location in Alberta, with filming starting in Calgary and a premiere slated for the fourth quarter of 2011.
That release is the cleanest primary record we’ve found, and it names the cast. Anson Mount played Cullen Bohannon, with Common, Dominique McElligott and Colm Meaney alongside him as Elam, Lily Bell and Durant.
AMC’s media site posted the announcement on May 3, 2011, which gave everyone about two weeks before cameras rolled. It also named Ben Esler as Sean McGinnes and Philip Burke as Mickey McGinnes, two more faces in the railroad camp.
A railroad town needs open land, a river and a lot of sky. Travel Alberta’s guide to screen locations lists Hell on Wheels under the Canadian Badlands and Calgary, which fits the brief nicely.
Westerns have a long history around here. Unforgiven built an entire town in the foothills, and Heartland has turned High River into a rural TV favourite. Hell on Wheels adds a railroad story to that shelf.
If you’re building a Calgary film watchlist, this one earns a spot between the older westerns and the newer prestige shows. It also shows that a series can start production in Calgary and stay rooted in Alberta ground. Take the title literally and look for the open space, the river light and the big sky around every tent and track.
The studio side matters too. Our post on the Calgary Film Centre covers the city-owned space that opened in 2016, and our look at the Alberta Film Commission explains how the province backs productions like this one.
Watch the first episode and keep an eye on the horizon behind the railhead. It’s Alberta.
Related reading from us: The Chase Takes a Calgary Flames Story to the Rosies.
Quick answers
AMC announced that Hell on Wheels would begin production on Monday, May 16, 2011, in Calgary. The network said the series would be shot on location in Alberta, with a premiere slated for the fourth quarter of 2011.
Travel Alberta lists Hell on Wheels among productions filmed in the Canadian Badlands and Calgary. AMC’s 2011 announcement said filming would start in Calgary and the series would be shot on location in Alberta.
AMC’s production announcement named Anson Mount as Cullen Bohannon, with Common as Elam, Dominique McElligott as Lily Bell and Colm Meaney as Durant. Ben Esler, Philip Burke and Eddie Spears were also named in the cast.
Sources: AMC Networks announcement, May 3, 2011, Travel Alberta, movies and TV shows filmed in Alberta.
