Ron Howard’s Inferno (2016), the third installment in the Dan Brown thriller series, takes audiences on a whirlwind tour from Florence to Venice to Istanbul. Intriguingly, much of the movie was actually shot in Budapest, Hungary. Howard and star Tom Hanks leveraged Hungary’s versatility to stage this globe-trotting thriller, effectively using Budapest as a proxy for several international locales.
Budapest as a Stand-In for Italy and Beyond
The filmmakers established their base at Origo Studios in Budapest, constructing major sets from replicas of Florentine interiors to portions of Venice’s waterways, all within soundstages. This centralization made the complex task of shooting a “global” thriller more manageable.
One of the most impressive accomplishments was the recreation of Florence’s famed Vasari Corridor and Palazzo Vecchio interiors on stages in Budapest. Rather than filming these sequences in the crowded heart of Florence, the production built them in Hungary, achieving complete control over lighting and stunts.
The film’s climactic scenes set in Istanbul’s underground Basilica Cistern were also not shot under Hagia Sophia as depicted. Instead, they were constructed at Korda Studios’ water tank facility in Hungary. By using Korda’s enormous outdoor water tank, the crew recreated the flooded cistern environment safely and convincingly, avoiding the need to close down a real historic site.
Budapest Playing Itself
Budapest itself also got screen time as, well, Budapest. Inferno opens with ominous visions (hallucinations experienced by Hanks’ character) that were filmed on the streets of Budapest, standing in for a nightmare version of Florence. The production shot scenes all over Budapest, from the Opera House, Hungarian Museum, and other iconic locations to less affluent neighborhoods and even some modern buildings. This illustrates Budapest’s range: a single city that can provide gilded 19th-century backdrops one moment and gritty contemporary streets the next.
References
- Atlas of Wonders – Where was Inferno filmed?
- Almost Ginger – Inferno Filming Locations in Italy, Istanbul & Budapest + Map!
- Recenzent – Inferno filming locations in Budapest: Complete guide
- Italy for Movies – Inferno | The locations of the movie
