Naman Shrestha
Created by Jon Bokenkamp and Richard D’Ovidio, Apple TV+’s ‘The Last Frontier’ is an action thriller drama series that acquaints us with a US Marshal named Frank Remnick, who is in charge of maintaining the peace and quiet associated with the town located on the outskirts of Alaska. His jurisdiction is under grave danger when a prison transport plane filled with numerous dangerous criminals crashes in the Alaskan wilderness, not far from his town.
As dozens of violent fugitives take advantage of the commotion and escape into the surrounding areas, Frank must hunt down the criminals and do his best to keep his people safe and sound. While investigating the case, he suspects that the plane crash was far from an accident, as he finds evidence that it was all an elaborate plan to let the inmates escape. Starring Jason Clarke, Dominic Cooper, Haley Bennett, Simone Kessell, and Tait Blum, the show unfolds mostly in and around a small Alaskan town, which is surrounded by the wilderness where the fugitives lurk at every corner.
The Last Frontier Filming Locations
Although ‘The Last Frontier’ is set in Alaska, the filming takes place across Quebec and Alberta, specifically in Montréal, Quebec City, the Laurentides, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Kananaskis Country, and Calgary. Under the working title ‘Foxtrot,’ the principal photography for the inaugural iteration of the thriller series got underway in early February 2024 and continued for about nine months before wrapping up in November of the same year. Talking to Cleveland about the shooting process, Haley Bennett revealed, “We were shooting through freezing nights and supporting each other. It was an intense nine months away from home. We all had to kind of support each other, so that really brought us closer together.”
Montréal, Québec
A portion of ‘The Last Frontier’ was taped in Montreal, in the southwestern region of the province of Quebec. According to reports, the shooting reportedly took place at MELS Studio spanning 225,000 sq. ft. As the production facility has over 20 soundstages ranging from 10,000 to 37,000 sq. ft., the filming was carried out at 2170 Avenue Pierre-Dupuy or 1777 Carrie-Derick in the city. To be specific, the exhilarating and chaotic sequence in which the prisoners scramble to save their lives as the transport plane crashes into the Alaskan wilderness was shot in a studio facility.
The taping of the scenes set inside the plane was done explicitly on one of the fully equipped soundproof stages using the studio’s services. Keeping with Sam Hargrave’s reputation for creating long-form one-take action sequences, the aforementioned chunk of the Apple TV+ production was also captured in a single take. Over the years, Montreal has also doubled up as a filming location for several movies and shows, such as ‘Snake Eyes,’ ‘The Day After Tomorrow,’ ‘John Wick: Chapter 2,’ ‘Orphan,’ ‘To Catch a Killer,’ ‘The Jackal,’ ‘Death Race,’ ‘Scream VI,’ and ‘Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan.’
Quebec City, Quebec
The production team of ‘The Last Frontier’ recreated the extreme conditions of the Alaskan winter in Quebec City, the capital of the eponymous province. The rugged terrain, extreme weather conditions, dense forests, and overall snow-covered landscape of the city perfectly complemented the tone and visual aesthetic of the narrative. Therefore, it served as an ideal backdrop not only to enhance authenticity but also to create an immersive portrayal of the unforgiving winters in the Last Frontier. Furthermore, its blend of historic and modern architecture, tax incentives, cooperative locals and proximity to MELS Studio in Montreal also made it a favorable shooting site for the team. ‘Death Wish,’ ‘Taking Lives,’ ‘Death Ship,’ ‘The Wall,’ ‘Urban Myth Chillers,’ and ‘Eye of the Beholder’ are some of the projects that were also lensed in Quebec City.
Other Locations in Quebec
The Laurentides, also known as the Laurentians, served as a key filming site for ‘The Last Frontier.’ Given the region’s vastness and snow-covered areas, it perfectly resembled the Alaskan wilderness. Most of the plane crash sequences were reportedly taped in and around the township municipality of Harrington for several weeks, including the village of Rivington. Various other areas in the Laurentides hosted the production of the Apple TV+ show, such as the municipalities of Lac-Supérieur, Arundel, and Val-Morin, and the small village of Oka. Moreover, the area of La Trappe and the city of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu were also turned into film sets for taping important portions.
Kananaskis Country, Alberta
Several plane crash sequences were also reportedly shot in and around the Fortress Mountain area, situated near the Kananaskis Trail and surrounded by Spray Valley and Peter Lougheed Provincial Parks. The crew members set up camp in the area, which was utilized to capture multiple exterior scenes involving the barren Alaskan wilderness and snow-covered landscapes in November 2024. Situated in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, K-Country served as an ideal replacement for Alaska.
Calgary, Alberta
For shooting purposes, the filming unit of ‘The Last Frontier’ also traversed across the city of Calgary, which is located at the confluence of the Bow River and the Elbow River. As per reports, the cast and crew members were spotted recording a few snowy scenes in different streets and neighborhoods of the city. One of the executive producers, Jason Clarke, opened up about how shooting the show on location in some “wild, untamed locations” under beautiful weather conditions was incomparable to shooting on sound stages. He told Esquire, “After any incredibly demanding production, you always learn what you are capable of.”
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