Where was Jack Reacher: Never Go Back shot? All filming locations explored

Modified Aug 03, 2024 20:45 GMT

Tom Cruise and Cobie Smulders in Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (Image via Paramount Pictures)

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is the second film of the Tom Cruise action thriller franchise. The film, based on the novel Never Go Back by Lee Child, was released on October 21, 2016.

The film follows the titular character Jack Reacher, played by Tom Cruise, as he tries to help his friend and comrade Major Susan Turner, played by Cobie Smulders, who has been falsely charged with treason and is on the run from authorities.

The film has loads of action, hand-to-hand combat and cat-and-mouse chases, most of which were filmed in and around the areas of New Orleans, Louisiana. A few scenes are shot out of New Orleans, in LaPlace, Metairie, Algiers, etc. The film also includes a few aeriel shots of Washinton D.C.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back was mostly filmed in and around New Orleans

Unlike most of Tom Cruise's action films, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is not a globe-trotting film. It has been mostly shot in New Orleans, where the narrative takes Jack and his companions while they hide from the authorities.

The major filming locations are mentioned below:

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is the place where most of Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is based. From Lafayette Square to the French Quarter, many places from the town can be seen in the film.

Even the scenes set in Washington D.C. were shot in New Orleans. That includes Lafayette Square, the streets and buildings of Baton Rouge, U.S. Custom House on Canal Street. The latter ones were used to show the federal office buildings of D.C.

Some sets were also created at Big Easy Studios in New Orleans East. The scenes of Jack and Susan's escape from prison were filmed here. The team also shot in the real New Orleans parade of 2015 but had to recreate some parts of the French Quarter and surrounding areas to complete the scene.

LaPlace, Louisiana

The opening scene of the film where Jack gets into a conflict with a bunch of small-town cops is shot in St. John the Baptist Parish in the LaPlace, a small area on the outskirts of New Orleans.

Although the name of the town is not mentioned in the scene, the Troxie Motel is clearly visible in show shots, a place that'a still operational.

Metairie, Louisiana

While on the run, Jack and Susan needed a place where Samantha, who is 15, cannot be easily identified.

They take her to a private school where she can assimilate. The school areas were actually from Metairie Park Country Day School. But in the film, it's shown as an elite school somewhere in D.C.

Metaire's Evergreen Plaza Inn, a motel on Veterans Memorial Boulevard was also used in a scene where the outlaws hide.

Algiers, Algeria

While the film is not a country-hopping espionage story, one scene in particular was shot outside the United States, particularly at the Gov. Nicholls Street Wharf in Algiers.

That scene is the one where Aldis Hodge, playing Captain Espin, receives a potential witness, which is crucial to the story.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back cast explored

Jack Reacher is another feather in the illustrious hat of Tom Cruise's action filmography. Reacher is a beloved fictional character penned by Lee Child, and despite mixed critical reception of the film, Cruise's name has been synonymous with Jack Reacher due to his effortless charisma and action prowess.

Supporting him in Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is Cobie Smulders, who's better known for her character Robin in How I Met Your Mother and Agent Maria Hill in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She plays a senior military officer Susan Turner, who's falsely accused of treason.

Danika Yarosh plays Samantha, Reacher's supposed daughter, who accompanies him throughout the film. Aldis Hodge and Holt McCallany from Mindhunter also play important roles.