Shotgun Wedding, the highly anticipated rom-com/action movie of Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel, has finally landed on Amazon Prime Video. Since the film's release on January 27, 2023, fans couldn't help but be blown away by the breathtaking beach scenery of the film.
The destination wedding in the film took place at the fictional Mahal Island Resort in The Philippines. But where did they really shoot the film?
Did They Film Shotgun Wedding in the Philippines?
Unfortunately no, they did not film Shotgun Wedding in the Philippines. But the destination wedding in the film is set in a fictional Mahal Island Resort in the Philippines. And to be clear, there is no actual resort of that name. If there is, it is purely coincidental.
Most of the movie was filmed at an isolated island of the Dominican Republic. They shot the film at an exclusive luxury resort in Rio San Juan, Dominican Republic called ANI Private Resorts. The producers decided to change the filming location due to travel restrictions. Production designer N.C. Page Buckner said (via Decider):
"ANI provided the level of luxury we were looking for. It had the vibes of a high-end resort, with a bit of an Asian influence built into some of the design."
In addition to the beachfront scene, Buckner carefully made sure that the flora of the resort would be similar to that of the Philippines.
"Both countries have tropical climates, so there are a lot of similarities between the two. But there were many other things we had to consider besides just general geographics. We did a whole research pass on everything from what electrical outlets they use to the flora and fauna because when you're going through the jungle, you don't want something that only grows in the Dominican Republic."
ANI Private Resorts
Although Mahal Island Resort is a fictional resort set, ANI Private Resorts is an actual luxury resort that can be found on a remote island in the northern coast Dominican Republic. It has a 270-degree view of the Atlantic Ocean with a total of 14 bedrooms in the property. Apart from the beach, it has a jungle and a golf course.
Guests can enjoy a thrilling hike at the Cordillera Septrentrional Mountains or go fishing, scuba diving, or whale watching. The resort also offers other outdoor activities such as horsebook riding, cave rappelling, canoeing, waterfall rappelling, and many more.
Lenny Kravitz, who stars as Sean in the film, said:
"We spent more than a week in the pool, eight or nine hours a day, which took a toll on my clothes and shoes. But we were in this infinity pool at the edge of the resort, looking out to the beautiful ocean, so there was nothing to complain about."
Location manager, Boni Canto, found the resort. The other beach scenes were shot at the Playa Grande. Meanwhile, the coastline of Juan Dolio, Samana, Sanchez, and Cabrera were featured in the film too.
Does ANI Private Resorts Have a Zip Line?
In one of the scenes in Shotgun Wedding, JLo and Duhamel are seen zip-lining. This made viewers wonder if there is a real zip line at ANI Private Resorts.
However, the scene was actually filmed at Monkeyland, a DR tourist attraction outside the town of Punta Cana. The tourist attraction is most known for its 18-platform zipline course that ends at the beach, which we see in the film.
You can also find some squirrel monkeys who will greet you in the venue.
You can watch the breathtaking ANI Private Resorts here:
Shotgun Wedding is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
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