Brad Pitt and George Clooney’s comedy-thriller Wolfs took an unusual approach to its filming locations, and the movie benefited from it. Wolfs follows two fixers, though it never reveals the names of Clooney and Pitt’s characters. That’s just one of the unusual decisions Wolfs made, though, as it also switched its theatrical release plan and confirmed a sequel before the original was even released. Perhaps the most unique, however, regards its filming locations.
Wolfs took its duo of fixers on an unusual journey throughout New York City. The pair began at a luxury suite in the fictional Delon Hotel, made their way to a Chinatown doctor, stopped at a few diners and motels, popped into a wedding, and eventually ended up at a warehouse for a major shootout. While there were plenty of characters in Wolfs to fill those places out, the locations also felt realistic for another reason. Plenty of movies are set in New York, but far fewer actually film in the Big Apple, and Wolfs was one of them.
Most Of The Outdoor Scenes In Wolfs Were Shot On Location In New York
The vast majority of Wolfs, including almost all of its outdoor scenes, were filmed on location in New York City. Most of the outdoor locations weren’t significantly changed for production, either, and can be tracked down to their exact addresses. For example, the business next to June’s restaurant and apartment is a real establishment in New York’s Chinatown: the Car & Limo Service Inc. on Madison Street, near Market Street. Additionally, when the fixers were chasing the Kid down, he ran into a few well-known Chinatown buildings, like the East Broadway Mall under the Manhattan Bridge, which is just a few blocks away in real life.
Wolfs
is available to stream on AppleTV+.
Screen Rant interviewed Wolfs star Austin Abrams (the Kid), and he spoke about some of the challenges of filming on-location in New York, and in running through the cold in his underwear. “Yeah, it definitely is challenging. You’re in your underwear in the cold, and your muscles tighten up, and there’s a big challenge physically and mentally,” Abrams said. Filming on location helped Wolfs in a few key ways: its locations felt real and lived-in, and scenes like the Kid’s run through the streets had an extra level of realism.
The Exterior Of The Hotel Delon Is The Four Seasons Hotel
Most of the opening sequence of Wolfs was filmed in and around the Four Seasons Hotel at 27 Barclay Street in Downtown New York. Margaret’s Man (Clooney) parked just up the street, in front of the NYU building, and walked to the hotel from there. Additionally, the parking garage where Margaret’s Man and Pam’s Man (Pitt) tried to get the kid into the trunk were filmed in the same area, at the Icon Parking Systems lot next to the NYU building (via The Cinemaholic). It’s unclear whether the interior of the Delon Hotel were filmed at the Four Seasons, however.
The Club Ice Scene In Wolfs Was Filmed At Da Mikelle Palazzo In Queens
Perhaps the most notable New York location in Wolfs was Club Ice, which was actually filmed at the Da Mikelle Palazzo in Queens. Wolfs used both the exterior of the Da Mikelle Palazzo event center (the sign is visible in the movie) and the interior of its ballroom. Since the venue is mainly used for renting out to large groups like wedding parties, it seems likely that the creators of Wolfs were able to rent out the space for filming, which let them maintain the movie’s mostly on-location filming.
Some Indoor Wolfs Scenes Were Filmed At Studios In California
Not all of Wolfs could be filmed on location, however, for various reasons. Some filming locations, like the motel the fixers took the Kid to, wouldn’t allow the movie’s creators to film there. Instead, those scenes were filmed on studio lots in Hollywood and Santa Clarita, California. Wolfs director Jon Watts told Entertainment Weekly that the motel was “kind of like the greatest hits of all these weird, shady motels in New York,” so though it wasn’t actually filmed in the city, it was clearly inspired by it. Additionally, it’s unclear where the interior hotel scenes were filmed, but they were likely filmed at another studio.
Some Wolfs Filming Locations Are Still Unknown
It isn’t entirely clear whether some of the indoor scenes of Wolfs were filmed on location or in a studio. The diners, for example, could easily be real restaurants in New York, but they didn’t have many distinguishing features to single them out. June’s restaurant also may have been a real business in Chinatown, but since the exterior of her building is a car rental service, it seems those scenes were filmed elsewhere. After the ending of Wolfs, however, and considering the fact that Wolfs 2 is already confirmed, some of the filming locations of Wolfs could soon be revealed.
Sources: The Cinemaholic, Entertainment Weekly, Atlas of Wonders,