Written by on Mar 28, 2012. Posted in Production News

Bourne Legacy finds armed civilians and great hotel service on location in Manila

Dow Griffith, a Location Manager on upcoming action sequel The Bourne Legacy, has described his experiences of filming on location in Manila in the Philippines. In an interview with the New York Times he discusses encountering great hotel service and armed civilians.

Griffith comments: "The Bourne movies are known as a more urban and gritty kind of product, and that was certainly true of Manila. It is congested, with the highest population density in the world. But the people are the best thing about it.

The Bourne movies are known as a more urban and gritty kind of product, and that was certainly true of Manila.

Dow Griffith, Location Manager

"Don’t be fooled by the signs everywhere that say Check Your Firearms at the Door. Many citizens are packing (carrying weapons), but you couldn’t meet more hospitable people.

"We put our crew up in the Manila Mandarin Oriental. Sometimes when you are travelling, no matter how much you spend, you can’t buy good service. At the Mandarin we enjoyed personalised service at very affordable prices. When it completes renovations, which begin in April, it will be even better."

The Bourne Legacy has spent more than 30 days filming in Manila in recent weeks, with both first and second unit scenes on the schedule. A few weeks ago producers Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley explained that Manila will play itself in the finished film and was chosen over Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City as a lesser-known filming location.

(Photo copyright: Adrian Biblanias)