Glass Onion A Knives Out: Where Was the Movie Filmed?

of Glass Onion A Knives Out: Where Was the Movie Filmed? Naman Shrestha
December 21, 2022

A sequel to Rian Johnson’s 2019 movie ‘Knives Out,’ ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ is another of his directorial that follows the renowned detective Benoit Blanc as he works on a new case. The mystery comedy movie sees him travel to a luxurious private residence on a Greek island where he meets a group of friends invited by their billionaire friend Miles Bron. The guests include individuals from different professions — Bron’s ex-business partner Andi Brand, scientist Lionel Toussaint, former model Birdie Jay and her assistant Peg, the current Governor of Connecticut Claire Debella, and influencer Duke Cody with his girlfriend Whiskey.

Each of them is hiding a secret as they have their own lies to weave and motives to kill. Soon, when someone is murdered on the property, Blanc must find out who the real culprit is. The murder mystery isn’t the only aspect that keeps the viewers scratching their heads. The use of stunning locations, including Miles’ luxurious estate, also makes one curious about the actual filming sites of ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.’ Well, if you are one such inquisitive soul, we have got you covered!

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Filming Locations

‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ was filmed in Greece and Serbia, specifically in Spetses, Argolis, Mykonos, and Belgrade. As per reports, the principal photography for the Daniel Craig starrer commenced in late June 2021 and wrapped up in September of the same year.

Interestingly, the story is set in 2020 during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic as various characters are seen donning masks, holding Zoom meetings, and even Benoit complaining of not being able to find work. This adds a sense of realism to the narrative and makes it all the more authentic. Now, let’s follow the group of friends or suspects staying at the villa and get a detailed account of all the sites that appear in the film!

Spetses, Greece

The production team of ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ kicked off the shooting process in Spetses, one of the Saronic Islands situated in Greece’s Attica. The old harbor of Spetses or Dapia port is supposedly where everyone meets Benoit Blanc for the first time before they all board the yacht toward the island. As for the yacht scenes, the filming unit used Captain Ali Göksoy’s 46-meter superyacht, Aquarius.

Aquarius consists of 5 staterooms with room to accommodate 10 guests, an on-deck Jacuzzi, and numerous private balconies. Several pivotal scenes for the murder mystery movie were also recorded in and around the Poseidonon Grand Hotel in Dapia. Moreover, it is, possibly, on this Greek island where the scene between Benoit and Monáe, as they discuss their game plan before the weekend, was shot.

Argolis, Greece

A major portion of ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ was lensed in Argolis, one of the many regional units of Greece. To be specific, Villa 20 at the Amanzoe in Agios Panteleimonas, Kranidi doubled for Miles’ luxurious mansion where most of the action takes place. Apart from being the primary production location, the hotel also served as the base camp for the filming unit, as it housed the cast and their respective families for the most part of the shoot. The beach scenes were recorded at the villa’s beach club, which is at some distance from the villa itself.

In a conversation with CN Traveler in early December 2022, the production designer Rick Heinrichs was asked how he decided upon the Aman villa as the right filming site for the movie. He said, “…The initial response was to the aesthetic: It had this modernist kind of take on classical Greek architecture. And that felt right for Miles. He’s an inquisitive fellow, and he doesn’t necessarily have his own aesthetic but knows he can pay a lot of money for someone who does. And it just felt like a place of power and had this great stairway that ran up to the top (with the villas in a hierarchy on the way up).”

Heinrichs added, “So there are different views from each villa, and they lead up to the (Glass Onion) with the best view on top. It’s very epic, almost like the Colosseum, to approach the villa—which lends itself to the idea that people are about to kill each other. Such scale. And then it offered a concept for building the atrium behind that worked really well as well—the interiors for that were constructed on a stage in Serbia.” Moreover, the locales of Porto Heli or Porto Cheli, a summer town in the southeastern part of Argolis, also feature in the movie.

Mykonos, Greece

For shooting purposes, the production team of ‘Knives Out’ sequel also seemingly set up camp in Mykonos, a Greek island that is a part of the Cyclades. Known for its nightlife and being a gay-friendly destination, Mykonos attracts a lot of tourists every year. This makes tourism one of the major contributing sectors to the island’s economy.

Belgrade, Serbia

Additional portions, especially interior sequences, of ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ were taped in Belgrade, the capital and largest city in Serbia. Most of the interior scenes were recorded on a stage, possibly one the production team constructed especially for the movie. Although the villa in Argolis served almost perfectly for the movie, it has just a single thing missing, that is, a glass pavilion on top. So, the production team worked on the glass structure in the UK and reassembled it in Belgrade to incorporate it into the interior scenes. The interiors for the scenes set in New York and the Northeast were also built in Serbia itself.

New York

For taping a few exterior scenes, the filming unit traveled to New York, the 27th largest state in terms of area in the United States. Situated in the Northeastern United States, New York State is home to several landmarks and tourist attractions, including the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Times Square, and Niagara Falls, to name a few.

Connecticut

Some exterior portions for ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ were also lensed on location in Connecticut, the southernmost state in the Northeastern United States’ New England region. Also known as The Constitution State, Connecticut’s economy is driven by a number of sectors, including insurance, finance, tourism, agriculture, and real estate.

Read More: Where Was Knives Out Filmed?

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