Ridley Scott's The Dog Stars was filmed in Italy between April and June 2025, despite being set in Canada, according to the film's production designer Chris Seager.
Seager said Italy offered "the best combination of location quality, scale and practical logistics", adding that concentrating locations within a manageable area helped the production maximise its time and resources. Canada was also considered, he said.
Rome's Cinecittà Studios was used for scenes set at Grand Junction Airport. Seager said the set was built in four weeks, while cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt described the studios as housing Italy's most modern sound stages.
Filming also took place in the Abruzzo region, including Avezzano, where a petrol station was transformed for a city landing sequence. The Roman district of EUR stood in for a Denver city hall triage centre, and Bordano was used for a build that included nine airplane hangars, Bangley's house and tower, smaller sheds and a trailer home.
The Dog Stars stars Jacob Elordi as pilot Hig, Margaret Qualley as Cima and Josh Brolin as Bangley. It is in UK cinemas now.