For more than fifty years, Thailand has stood in for half the world on screen. It was James Bond's hideout in 1974, Vietnam and Cambodia in the war films of the 1980s, the Wookiee planet in Star Wars, and Bombay, Karachi and Dhaka in recent streaming series. Lately it plays itself more and more, as in the third season of The White Lotus.
The last few years have been the busiest ever. Netflix, Apple TV+, HBO, Disney+ and the big Hollywood studios have all shot here, and in 2024 Alien: Earth became the largest foreign production Thailand has ever hosted. Below are the recent productions first, then the Hollywood classics and the Thai films that put the country's crews on the map, with where each one was filmed, and a guide to the locations you can visit.
Recent international productions filmed in Thailand
Alien: Earth
Noah Hawley's prequel series to Alien was filmed entirely in Thailand: in 13 studios, among them Studio Park outside Bangkok, in Bangkok's modern architecture, and on the coasts and in the jungles of the south. The Thailand Film Office counts it as the biggest foreign investment in its history: more than US$85 million over about 123 shooting days.
The production stayed in Bangkok even through the 2023 Hollywood strikes, when the team kept building sets in the city. The Xenomorph eggs and other creature props were made by Bangkok's Second Skin workshop together with New Zealand's Wētā Workshop.
- Studio Park, Samut Prakan
- Bangkok
- Krabi
- Phang Nga
- Surat Thani
The White Lotus, season 3
Mike White's satire moved to Thailand for its third season, filmed from February to August 2024. The story follows the guests and staff of a wellness resort, and this time Thailand plays itself. The Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui became the White Lotus hotel, and further scenes were shot around Phuket and in Bangkok.
The show sent a wave of visitors to Koh Samui, a good example of why Thailand pays a bonus on its film rebate for productions that show the country on screen.
- Koh Samui
- Phuket
- Bangkok
Jurassic World Rebirth
Director Gareth Edwards suggested Thailand after filming The Creator here. The jungle and island scenes were shot in the national parks of the south: the waterfalls of Khao Phanom Bencha in Krabi, the limestone islands of Phang Nga Bay, and Koh Kradan in Trang. A small Thai fishing village even became a beach bar in Suriname. Studio work was done in Malta and the UK.
- Krabi
- Phang Nga Bay
- Trang
The Creator
Gareth Edwards' science fiction film about a war between humans and AI was shot on location in Thailand from January 2022, on a budget of US$80 million. Edwards scouted the country with a camera and a 1970s anamorphic lens, and built the film's future Asia around real Thai landscapes instead of green screens.
- Thailand, on location
The Night Agent, season 2
The second season of Netflix's spy thriller opens with a mission in Bangkok. After New York, the production filmed in Thailand, with scenes at Wat Pho, in Yaowarat (Chinatown) and at the Sindhorn Kempinski hotel.
- Bangkok
The Price of Confession
One of a growing number of Korean productions shooting in Thailand. Part of the story takes place in Thailand, and the series filmed in the mountains of the north, in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.
- Chiang Mai
- Chiang Rai
Shantaram
When the pandemic stopped the shoot in India, Apple's series starring Charlie Hunnam moved to Thailand, and Bangkok became 1980s Bombay. The Bombay slum was built on about four acres of backlot at Studio Park, and the old streets of Yaowarat filled in for the city. Interiors were shot in Melbourne.
- Bangkok
- Yaowarat
- Studio Park
Ms. Marvel
Marvel could not film in Pakistan, so Thailand stood in for it. Episodes four and five, set in Karachi, were shot in Bangkok and at Studio Park in 2021, with Hua Lamphong railway station as a key location and further scenes in Pattaya.
- Bangkok
- Hua Lamphong
- Pattaya
Thai Cave Rescue
The 2018 rescue of the Wild Boars football team, filmed where it happened. The crew arrived at Tham Luang–Khun Nam Nang Non National Park in Chiang Rai in August 2021 and worked through Thailand's COVID-19 lockdowns.
- Chiang Rai
- Tham Luang
The Serpent
The story of Charles Sobhraj, who preyed on backpackers in 1970s Bangkok, was filmed across nine Thai provinces, with most of the shoot in Bangkok and Hua Hin and a famous scene at the Erawan waterfall in Kanchanaburi. COVID-19 stopped production in March 2020, and the last scenes were filmed in England.
- Bangkok
- Hua Hin
- Kanchanaburi
The Flight Attendant
Kaley Cuoco's thriller starts with a layover in Bangkok that ends with a body in her hotel bed. The Bangkok scenes were shot in the city, along the Chao Phraya River.
- Bangkok
Extraction
Chris Hemsworth's action film is set in Dhaka, but it was shot in India and in Thailand, including Bangkok and Ban Pong in Ratchaburi.
- Bangkok
- Ratchaburi
Netflix also makes more and more Thai originals in Thailand. Read about Netflix's investment in Thailand.
Thailand's film locations, and what was shot there
| Location | Filmed there |
|---|---|
| Bangkok and Studio Park | Alien: Earth, Shantaram, Ms. Marvel, The Night Agent, Mechanic: Resurrection, The Hangover Part II, Only God Forgives, Good Morning, Vietnam, The Deer Hunter, The Man with the Golden Gun |
| Phang Nga Bay | The Man with the Golden Gun ("James Bond Island"), Tomorrow Never Dies, Jurassic World Rebirth, Alien: Earth |
| Krabi and Koh Phi Phi | The Beach (Maya Bay), Jurassic World Rebirth, Alien: Earth |
| Phuket | The White Lotus, Star Wars: Episode III, The Killing Fields, Casualties of War |
| Khao Lak | The Impossible |
| Koh Samui | The White Lotus |
| Hua Hin | The Killing Fields, The Serpent |
| Kanchanaburi | Casualties of War, The Serpent |
| Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai | Thai Cave Rescue, The Price of Confession |
| Mae Hong Son | Air America |
| Ayutthaya | Kickboxer |
| Khao Yai National Park | The Beach (Haew Suwat waterfall) |
| Loei | The Medium |
Looking for locations like these for your own production? Our location scouting team finds and clears film locations all over Thailand, from Bangkok rooftops to islands and national parks.
Why Thailand doubles for so many countries
Look at the list above and Thailand has played Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Suriname and a planet in a galaxy far, far away. Three things make that possible:
- Variety in a small area. Rice fields, jungle, limestone islands, old shophouse streets and a skyline of glass towers are all within a short flight or drive of Bangkok.
- Old streets that still exist. Yaowarat and the old town around Hua Lamphong can be dressed into 1970s Asia or 1980s Bombay with little set building.
- Crews and studios that can build the rest. Thai art departments built Shantaram's slum and Alien: Earth's future cities. See our art department.
Studio Park: where the big shows build their sets
Many of the recent productions share one address: Studio Park in Samut Prakan, just outside Bangkok and close to Suvarnabhumi Airport. The site covers about 85 acres, with five soundstages and a large backlot. Shantaram built its Bombay slum there, Ms. Marvel shot its Karachi episodes there, and Alien: Earth used it as one of its 13 studios. For a foreign production, a studio next to the international airport makes a long shoot much easier to plan.
Hollywood classics filmed in Thailand
Mechanic: Resurrection
Jason Statham's assassin hides out in Thailand. Filming began in Bangkok in November 2014.
Only God Forgives
Nicolas Winding Refn's psychological thriller with Ryan Gosling and Kristin Scott Thomas, set in Bangkok's Muay Thai and underworld scene. Thai actors Vithaya Pansringarm and Ratha Phongam play key roles, and the film uses Bangkok's neon nights as much as its boxing rings.
The Impossible
J. A. Bayona's film about a family caught in the 2004 tsunami, with Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor. The water scenes were shot in a studio in Spain, and the shoot continued in Thailand in October 2010, where the story took place.
The Hangover Part II
Todd Phillips' comedy with Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Ken Jeong took the Wolfpack to Bangkok's nightlife, and made the Sky Bar on top of the Lebua hotel world famous.
Rambo
Sylvester Stallone's fourth Rambo finds him living in Thailand as a snake catcher and boatman, before a mission across the border into Burma. Filming began in Thailand in January 2007.
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
The limestone peaks around Phuket became Kashyyyk, the planet of the Wookiees, filmed as background plates for the battle scenes.
The Beach
Leonardo DiCaprio in Danny Boyle's film made Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Leh one of the most famous beaches in the world. The waterfall jump was filmed at Haew Suwat in Khao Yai National Park.
Brokedown Palace
Claire Danes and Kate Beckinsale as two friends on holiday who are jailed in Bangkok for drug smuggling, directed by Jonathan Kaplan.
Tomorrow Never Dies
Planned for Vietnam, this Bond film moved to Thailand. Bangkok stood in for Ho Chi Minh City, and Phang Nga Bay, already seen in The Man with the Golden Gun, played Ha Long Bay.
Heaven and Earth
Oliver Stone's Vietnam War drama was filmed in Thailand, whose rice fields and villages doubled for Vietnam, as they did in many war films of the time.
Air America
Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. as pilots in Laos, filmed around Mae Hong Son. The production rented more than 26 aircraft from the Thai military.
Casualties of War
Brian De Palma's Vietnam War film with Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn, shot in Phuket and Kanchanaburi.
Kickboxer
Jean-Claude Van Damme trains in Muay Thai among the ruins of Wat Phra Si Sanphet and Wat Ratchaburana in Ayutthaya, before the final fight.
Good Morning, Vietnam
Robin Williams as an army radio DJ in Saigon, filmed in Bangkok, with Thai actress Chintara Sukapatana as the female lead.
The Killing Fields
Roland Joffé's Oscar-winning film about the Khmer Rouge, with Hua Hin and Phuket standing in for Cambodia.
The Deer Hunter
Michael Cimino's film with Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken was the first feature about the Vietnam War to be filmed in Thailand, and it opened the way for all the war films that followed.
The Man with the Golden Gun
Roger Moore's Bond chased through Bangkok and found Scaramanga's hideout on Koh Tapu in Phang Nga Bay, known ever since as James Bond Island.
Thai and Asian cinema made in Thailand
Thailand's own film industry is the reason foreign productions find such strong crews here. These films won at Cannes, Venice and Berlin, launched action stars known around the world, and were remade in Hollywood.
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies
A family drama shot in Bangkok, with Talat Phlu among its locations, that became a hit across Asia. It was Thailand's first Oscar submission to reach the 15-film shortlist for Best International Feature.
The Medium
A Thai-Korean horror film about a shaman in Isan, shot as a mock documentary in Loei province in the northeast.
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
A dying man remembers his past lives. The first Thai film, and the first from Southeast Asia, to win the Palme d'Or at Cannes.
Syndromes and a Century
Inspired by the director's parents, both doctors. Premiered in competition at the 63rd Venice Film Festival.
Tropical Malady
A love story between a soldier and a country boy that turns into a fable in the jungle, filmed in rural Thailand. Jury Prize at Cannes.
Shutter
A photographer finds faces in his pictures. One of the biggest Thai horror hits, and remade in Hollywood in 2008.
Ong-Bak 1 and 2
Real Muay Thai, no wires, no doubles. Ong-Bak made Tony Jaa an international martial arts star.
Tom-Yum-Goong
Tony Jaa again, travelling to Australia to rescue his elephants. Released abroad as The Protector.
Dynamite Warrior
A rocket-riding revenge story set in old Siam, starring Dan Chupong, with period costumes from every class of society.
Last Life in the Universe
Shot by Christopher Doyle in Thai, Japanese and English. Tadanobu Asano won Best Actor in the Upstream section at Venice.
Invisible Waves
A crime film set between Macau and Phuket, written by Prabda Yoon, shot by Christopher Doyle, premiered at the Berlinale.
The Legend of Suriyothai
The epic of Queen Suriyothai, with battle elephants and the Ayutthaya era rebuilt on a grand scale.
Tears of the Black Tiger
A colour-saturated Thai western, and the first Thai film selected for Cannes.
Bangkok Dangerous
An all-Thai cast and crew. Won the FIPRESCI prize at Toronto and was later remade in Hollywood with Nicolas Cage.
The Eye, The Eye 10 and Re-cycle
Hong Kong and Thai horror shot in Thailand. The Eye was remade in Hollywood with Jessica Alba.
Three
Three horror stories from Thailand, Korea and Hong Kong, each made with its own country's crew.
A short history of film in Thailand
- 1897: the first film screening in Bangkok, a Parisian Cinematograph show.
- 1923: Miss Suwanna of Siam, an American production, is the first feature film shot in Thailand.
- 1927: Chok Song Chan (Double Luck), the first film made by Thais.
- 1974: The Man with the Golden Gun brings James Bond, and Hollywood, to Phang Nga Bay.
- 1978 to 1993: Thailand becomes the stand-in for Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos in the war films.
- 2000s: Thai cinema goes global with Ong-Bak, Thai horror and Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Palme d'Or.
- 2017: Thailand introduces a cash rebate for foreign productions, now up to 30%.
- 2020s: the streaming era: Netflix, Apple TV+, HBO and Disney+ shoot here, and Alien: Earth sets a new record.
Visiting the film locations
- Maya Bay, Koh Phi Phi Leh (The Beach): closed from 2018 to 2022 to let the reef recover. It is open again with limited visitor numbers, and swimming in the bay is not allowed.
- James Bond Island, Phang Nga Bay: Koh Tapu is part of Ao Phang Nga National Park. Boats stop at the neighbouring island of Khao Phing Kan, from where you see the famous rock.
- Sky Bar at Lebua, Bangkok (The Hangover Part II): open to visitors, with a dress code.
- Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Ayutthaya (Kickboxer): part of the Ayutthaya Historical Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Erawan waterfall, Kanchanaburi (The Serpent): a national park with seven tiers of turquoise pools.
- Haew Suwat waterfall, Khao Yai (The Beach): a short walk from the road in Khao Yai National Park.
Why productions keep coming
The pattern behind the list is clear: beaches and limestone islands, jungle, rice fields and temples, and Bangkok, which can be a futuristic megacity or 1970s Asia a few streets apart. Add experienced crews, studios like Studio Park, and a cash rebate of up to 30%, and it is easy to see why the list keeps growing.
Planning to film in Thailand yourself? Start with our guide to film production in Thailand and when to film. As a Thailand Film Office registered coordinator, our fixer team handles locations, film permits and crew for foreign productions.
