Film location

Region: Highland
Coordinates: ° N ° W

Feature Films made partly in Iceland

The remote nature of Iceland has for many years attracted foreign filmmakers. So the understanding of the importance of working with them has grown within the film industry in Iceland through the years and the support of the Icelandic government has also helped.
The Icelandic landscape has served as other planets and different countries such as Greenland, Japan, and Nepal in various movies. Here are some locations of known movies shot in Iceland.

This list is by year released and is only part of numerous films.

1. James Bond – View to a Kill (1985) Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, Vatnajökull, Höfn

Directed by: John Glen
Starring: Roger Moore, Christopher Walken, Tanya Roberts, Grace Jones, Patrick Macnee

The recovery of a microchip off the body of a fellow agent, leads James Bond to a mad industrialist who plans to create a worldwide microchip monopoly by destroying California’s Silicon Valley.

2. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, Vatnajökull,

Directed by: Simon West
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Jon Voight, Iain Glen, Noah Glen, Daniel Craig

Video game adventurer Lara Croft comes to life in a movie where she races against time and villains to recover powerful ancient artifacts.

3. James Bond – Die Another Day (2002) Vatnajökull, Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, Höfn

Directed by: Lee Tamahori
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry, Rosamund Pike, Toby Stephens, John Cleese

James Bond is sent to investigate the connection between a North Korean terrorist and a diamond mogul, who is funding the development of an international space weapon.

4. Batman Begins (2005) Vatnajökull,

Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman

After training with his mentor, Batman begins his fight to free crime-ridden Gotham City from corruption.

5. Flags of our Fathers (2006) Sandvik

Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Adam Beach, Jesse Bradford

The life stories of the six men who raised the flag at the Battle of Iwo Jima, a turning point in World War II.

6. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) Sandvik

Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara

The story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of the Japanese who fought it.

7. Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) Snaefellsjokull Glacier

Directed by: Eric Brevighttp://snaefellsjokull-glacier
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, Anita Briem

On a quest to find out what happened to his missing brother, a scientist, his nephew and their mountain guide discover a fantastic and dangerous lost world in the center of the earth.

8. The Tree of Life (2011) Krafla, Hverarond, Namaskard
Directed by: Terrence Malick
Starring: Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken

The story of a family in Waco, Texas in 1956. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence and struggles with his parents’ conflicting teachings.

9. Prometheus (2012) Dettifoss, Hekla, Vatnajökull,

Directed by: Ridley Scott
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba

Following clues to the origin of mankind, a team finds a structure on a distant moon, but they soon realize they are not alone.

10. Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013) Reynisfjara

Directed by: J. J. Abrams
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch

After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction.

11. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)  Stykkisholmur, Höfn, Seydisfjordur, Skogafoss and Vatnajökull,

Directed by: Ben Stiller
Starring: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Shirley MacLaine, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn, Sean Penn

When both he and a colleague are about to lose their job, Walter takes action by embarking on an adventure more extraordinary than anything he could have ever imagined.

12. Oblivion (2013) Hrossaborg, Jarlhettur, Drekavatn

Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Olga Kurylenko, Andrea Riseborough, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Melissa Leo

A veteran assigned to extract Earth’s remaining resources begins to question what he knows about his mission and himself.

13. Thor: The Dark World (2013)  Skogafoss , Dettifoss, Landmannalaugar

Directed by: Alan Taylor
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba

When the Dark Elves attempt to plunge the universe into darkness, Thor must embark on a perilous and personal journey that will reunite him with doctor Jane Foster.

14. The Fifth Estate (2013) Reykjavik

Directed by: Bill Condon
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Brühl, Carice van Houten

A dramatic thriller based on real events that reveals the quest to expose the deceptions and corruptions of power that turned an Internet upstart into the 21st century’s most fiercely debated organization.

15. Noah (2014) Hafursey, Reynisfjara, Maelifell, Kleifarvatn, Raufarholshellir Cave

Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Starrings: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Anthony Hopkins

Noah is chosen by God to undertake a momentous mission before an apocalyptic flood cleanses the world.

16. Interstellar (2014)  Mafabot, Orrustuholl, Svinafellsjokull

Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, Michael Caine

A team of explorers travel through a wormhole in space in an attempt to ensure humanity’s survival.

17. Star Wars – The Force Awakens (2015)  Eyjafjallajokull

Directed by: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega

Star Wars director J.J. Abrams is a return visitor to Iceland. His 2015 Episode VII of the epic space opera film saga, Star Wars: The Force Awakens brought him to Eyjafjallajökull Ice Cap, in South Iceland, where some of the snow scenes and battles on the surface of Starkiller Base ice planet were filmed. Starkiller planet is armed with a terrifying weapon capable of destroying multiple planets halfway across the galaxy.

18. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) Reynisfjara,, Hafursey, Hjorleifshofdi, Krafla, Lake Myvatn

Directed by: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk

In Rogue One: a Star Wars Story, Reynisfjara’s Black Sand Beach and the active volcanic region of Krafla, in Lake Mývatn, in North Iceland, stand in for the eerie planet of Eadu. Planet Lah’mu is represented by Mýrdalssandur Black Sand Beach and the vibrant green mountains Hjörleifshöfði and Hafursey, only 20 minutes East from Vík. In the film, this is where Galen Erso, the mind behind the creation of the Death Star, is hiding with his family.

19. Captain America: Civil War (2016)  Vik i Myrdal

Directed by: Joe Russo, Anthony Russo
Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle

Captain America: Civil War is the second Marvel film to be filmed in Iceland, after Thor: The Dark World (2013). This time, the superheroes Captain America and Iron Man headed to the South Coast, near Vík, whose cliffs, snow-capped mountains and frozen lakes are recognizable from the first seconds of the movie official trailer. In the movie, Iceland doubles as the Winter Soldier’s land, Bucky Barnes, from when he was a Soviet agent.

20. The Fate of The Furious (2017) Akranes, Lake Myvatn

Directed by:F. Gary GrayWriters
Starring: Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Charlize Theron, Kurt Russell, Luke Evans

When a mysterious woman seduces Dominic Toretto into the world of terrorism and a betrayal of those closest to him, the crew face trials that will test them as never before.

21. Justice League (2017) Djupavik Strandir (Westfjords)

Directed by: Zack Snyder
Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Jeremy Irons, Ingvar Sigurdsson

Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his new-found ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy.

22. Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020) Husavik, Gullfoss, Reykjavik

Directed by: David Dobkin
Staring: Will Ferrell, Rachel McAdams, Dan Stevens, Mikael Persbrandt, Pierce Brosnan, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson

When aspiring musicians Lars and Sigrit are given the opportunity to represent their country at the world’s biggest song competition, they finally have a chance to prove that any dream worth having is a dream worth fighting for.

23. The Northman (2022) Iceland The Viking Age

Directed by: Robert Eggers
Writers: Sjón and Robert Eggers
Staring: Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Ethan Hawke

The Viking Age. With a mind aflame with hate and revenge, Prince Amleth, the wronged son of King Aurvandill War-Raven, heads to cold, windswept Iceland to retrieve what was stolen from him: a father, a mother, and a kingdom. And like a war dog picking up the enemy’s scent, brutal Amleth embarks on a murderous quest to find the hateful adversary, whose life is forever woven together with his by the threads of fate. Now, in the name of Valhalla, no one can stop the Northman, not even God.

Reference: www.imbd.com