Where Was ‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’ Filmed?

The latest instalment of the ‘Mission: Impossible’ series is here and as Ethan Hunt prepares to face his toughest challenge yet, we take a look at the work our Production Services Team provided and the amazing locations used during filming.

The movie follows the IMF team as they take on The Syndicate, a highly trained and highly skilled organisation intent on ending the IMF once and for all. This latest instalment was directed by Christopher McQuarrie and reunites stars Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner, throwing actress Rebecca Ferguson into the action-packed mix.

Creative England’s Production Services team were involved with the film from early pre-production. We put forward a number of suitable locations for the movie to shoot in; in particular roads that could easily be controlled for filming. Other location suggestions included railway tunnels, underground sewer systems, high-tech buildings, laboratories, stunt rehearsal spaces, grand ballrooms and doubles for the Houses of Parliament. The location double chosen for this last spot was so convincing, it had the Metro newspaper telling readers that ‘Rogue Nation’ shot in  the real Houses of Parliament. We also provided location information for sites such as power stations, castles, docks, warehouses and areas that could be used to double as City of London streets.

Before filming the daring plane heist scene which features in the trailer, our Production Liaison Manger in the East, Hayley Armstrong, was in contact with filmmakers for two months to negotiate the potential use of RAF Coltishall in Norfolk. Talks between the production team and Norfolk County Council were supported directly by Hayley, and her involvement lead to the movie being able to film scenes using an Airbus A400M. Hayley also spoke with the Civil Aviation Authority about potentially landing the A400M at the airfield, however the scene was eventually relocated to RAF Wittering in Cambridgeshire. The finished sequence shows Tom Cruise, at his most daring, maintaining his reputation of performing many of his own stunts.

During the production’s shoot at Fawley Power Station in Southampton, our team were on hand to provide support alongside our Film Partners in the city to help secure access to the facility and ensure a smooth shoot. Ladybower Reservoir in Derbyshire was also used as the secondary location for a special effects scene that features in the film’s trailer. Our Production Liaison Manager for the East Midlands, Stephen Badham, worked closely with our Film Partners at Derbyshire County Council Highways to make sure traffic wouldn’t be an issue for the production. ‘Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation’ ultimately shot for two days at the “plug hole” of the Ladybower reservoir with a drone, footage of which can be seen in the finished film.

In addition to shooting across the English regions, the film also made use of one of the UK’s leading filming spaces: Leavesden Studios. More information for this production space and others, can be found on our website’s studios page.

Like all ‘Mission: Impossible’ films, Ethan Hunt’s adventure takes him across the globe, so keep an eye out for scenes shot in Morocco and Vienna, Austria. As part of the expanding and diverse support we offer productions of all sizes, our databases of crew, facilities, studios and locations aim to meet the demands of any production across the regions.

To find out more about the services we provide visit our Production Services page. For more information about filming in England and to add your property to our database, head to our filming locations page. Stay in touch with the work our Production Services team do by signing up to our newsletter and following them on Twitter.