Bavaria and the Austrian Dolomites: Here's where Cliffhanger with Lily James was filmed

Principal photography began in summer 2024, with more than half of the shoot taking place in Bavaria. Penzing Studios in Munich served as a primary production facility, with additional filming in Munich's city centre. Penzing Studios — the modern production complex in Munich's western Penzing district — has been developing rapidly as a hub for major international co-productions in Bavaria. 

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Location filming moved into Austria for the film's most physically demanding sequences. Liezen — a district in the Styria region of central Austria, its mountain landscapes part of the Northern Limestone Alps — provided the setting for Lily James's rock face climbing scenes. The terrain here is exactly what the production needed: genuine Alpine rock faces, vertical exposure and the real mountain environment that the film's physical language demands.

"Lily James has gone above and beyond for her role, putting in real training and learning to climb. Her dedication has allowed us to capture some incredible shots we couldn't have achieved otherwise, and the whole crew is blown away by her commitment." said Jaume Collet-Serra.

The production also filmed in the Lienz Dolomites in East Tyrol — the section of the Dolomite mountain range that extends across the Austrian border, its peaks and faces geologically identical to the Italian Dolomites that give the film its setting. Here, a specific sequence was filmed: Naomi Cooper's bottom-facing rock face climbing scene — one of the film's most technically demanding shots, requiring Lily James to perform her climbing work on an actual Dolomite rock face in East Tyrol.

James underwent real climbing training before and during production, allowing the cameras to capture genuine climbing sequences on actual rock faces rather than relying on studio approximations or visual effects replacements.

Cliffhanger opens in cinemas on August 28, 2026.