Where was Duster filmed? All filming locations explored
Duster is HBO Max's newest crime thriller offering from co-creators J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan. The series tracks a young Black woman FBI agent fresh from Quantico, recruiting a rakish getaway driver who works for a crime syndicate to take down the same crime group.
FBI Agent Nina Hayes (Rachel Wilson) and getaway driver extraordinaire Jim Ellis (Josh Holloway) are both very good at what they do. They team up to combine their investigating prowess and vehicular expertise to take down what the FBI refers to as "the Southwest Al Capone," played by Keith David.
Duster is set in Phoenix, Arizona, and it was filmed all over Arizona and New Mexico. Besides a bit of authenticity, the two filming locations offer a diverse backdrop that can provide the 1970s Southwest atmosphere that the show's story calls for.
Duster filming locations explored
The filming of the eight episodes of Duster took place in various areas around Arizona and New Mexico, between 2021 and 2024, and was halted multiple times due to tax incentive issues and the SAG-AFTRA strike. Filming started in Arizona, but switched to New Mexico for most of the series for film incentives purposes.
Arizona
With the show's setting in Phoenix, Arizona, filming the series in the same state offers a level of authenticity to the storyline. Production chose different locations for shooting various scenes. The pilot episode, Baltimore Changes Everything, was shot in Pima County, the second-biggest county in the state by population, and the second-largest city in Arizona, which is Tucson.
Tucson was especially a key part of the show's Arizona setting. It served as a backdrop for outdoor scenes, with some of the key places in the area, like the Menlo Park neighborhood and Silverbell Road, making it to the show. The crew also filmed at the Saguaro National Park and several indoor scenes inside the Tucson City Hall.
New Mexico
Another filming location utilized in making Duster was New Mexico. Production moved from Arizona to New Mexico sometime around 2022-2023. As reported by News 2 Tucson in 2022, the change in the filming location was because there were not any state film incentives in Arizona, while New Mexico was "offering huge financial assets."
Duster star Josh Holloway shared a snippet of their Albuquerque production in an Instagram post on March 26, 2023. Showing off the "Spring in Albuquerque" in his Instagram video, he said that it was the day before they officially started filming the series in the city. Albuquerque, New Mexico's Southwestern landscape matches the 1970s American Southwest aesthetic that the series is looking for.
Screen Global Production also reported in May 2023 that the series will be filming around areas in Moriarty, Belen, Gallup, Sandia Pueblo, and Laguna Pueblo, per the New Mexico Film Office. These various New Mexico filming locations also helped achieve the busy, old town vibe resembling the Old West in the series.
There are Moriarty's dusty streets, the culturally rich city of Belen at the center of New Mexico, and the rocky terrain and rich history of Gallup, aka the heart of Indian country. The natural terrain of the Sandia Pueblo settlement and the diverse, dramatic landscape of Laguna Pueblo further add a Western aspect to the narrative.
Catch episodes of Duster streaming on Max. A new episode arrives every week on the streaming platform on Thursday nights.
