From a Santiago rooftop to the Quarry of the Moai: Where Wild Horse Nine was filmed

Filming began between February and March 2025 on Easter Island. The production used the island's most iconic sites — Ahu Tongariki, the great ceremonial platform with its fifteen restored moai facing inland, is specifically confirmed as a filming location.

Anakena Beach – the island's only white sand beach, flanked by a row of moai on Ahu Nau Nau – was also used, where local extras including children from island families participated in scenes.

Also Rano Raraku – the volcanic crater on the eastern slopes of the island that served as the quarry where the moai were carved – is used for filming.

Coordination with Comunidad Indígena Ma'u Henua, the organisation responsible for administering Rapa Nui National Park, was central to the production. Archaeologists and cultural specialists supervised parts of the filming process. Local representatives were present throughout to ensure that archaeological sites, Rapa Nui culture and the conservation rules protecting the national park were respected.

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After Easter Island, filming continued in Santiago, where scenes were shot in different parts of the city, including the Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport and urban locations that recreated the atmosphere of Chile in the 1970s. A local club in the Conchalí neighbourhood also featured. In Santiago, Steve Buscemi also filmed a scene on the rooftop of a building overlooking the Plaza de Armas.

Beyond Chile, the production also filmed in Utah. Moab and its surroundings – including Ida Gulch – provided scenic desert landscape sequences. Monument Valley on the Utah-Arizona border contributed iconic American West vistas. Why the American Southwest appears in a film set in Chile in 1973 is a question the film will answer.

Searchlight Pictures releases it on November 6, 2026.