Custom-built ‘Oppenheimer’ film set opens to visitors in New Mexico

RIO ARRIBA COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – A new opportunity to tour the same set that was used during the award-winning “Oppenheimer” film is now available in New Mexico. Tucked away in the desert at Ghost Ranch, near Abiquiu, stand several buildings and dirt roads that were built specifically for the movie.

Director Christopher Nolan, executive producer Thomas Hayslip, production designer Ruth De Jong, and their crew created the set to resemble the real-life Los Alamos town, where J. Robert Oppenheimer and other scientists worked to create the atomic bomb under the Manhattan Project in the 1940s.

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David Manzanares, Ghost Ranch’s field producer, recalled the moment he was contacted by Todd Christensen, the former director of the New Mexico Film Office, about the “Oppenheimer” film in October 2021. “He gave me a call looking for locations in New Mexico. So, I gave him several ideas to pick my brain. And ultimately, in the conversation, it was kind of a little bit more mysterious, and you can’t talk about, or disclose any information. He mentioned it would be looking for a hill or a cliff of sorts with this big overlook,” said Manzanares.

A few weeks later, Nolan, Hayslip, De Jong and part of the crew visited one of the areas Manzanares suggested that was later selected to be part of the set. The team was taken to an untouched desert area that sits above the Tennessee Valley at Ghost Ranch off of U.S. 84. In the distance surrounding the area are mesas, red rocks, Abiquiu Lake, and the same desert landscape that captivated artist Georgia O’Keeffe and several other filmmakers.

Construction of the “Oppenheimer” set at Ghost Ranch began in November, and filming took place in 2022. “It was incredible to watch,” Manzanares said about his experience working on the set and watching Nolan in action. “He’s very meticulous. He has a vision in his mind, and he hires people. He surrounds himself with professionals that can get it done. It was exciting,” said Manzanares.

It took the crew about eight days to complete their filming at the set. Manzanares said he was there every day, starting from when the crew first arrived through early May. Much like the top-secret Manhattan Project, the details about the “Oppenheimer” film were kept under wraps until recently.

Manzanares’ interview with KRQE News 13 is one of a handful of interviews he has given since the film was released in July 2023. Ghost Ranch is also now conducting guided tours of the set and brought its first group out there on Tuesday.

The remaining set features include a reproduction of the main Los Alamos security gate, a building that was based on the real blueprints of Oppenheimer’s office, two Quonset huts that served as a theater and an auto repair and storage shop, a church, and additional log cabin-esque buildings. Visitors will also see the main road where Cillian Murphy, as Oppenheimer, and Emily Blunt, as Kitty Oppenheimer, drove into town.

Those who watched “Oppenheimer” and visited the set may notice that some of the buildings that were shown in the film, are no longer standing at Ghost Ranch. Parts of the set were removed, and the telephone poles that were used were taken down and remain on site if any other group wants to use them for filming.

“So I think when people come for a tour, they get to maybe feel or touch a little bit of that magic.  And I think that’s kind of cool. The magic is here all the time. But now we get to share it with, you know, the rest of the world,” said Manzanares.

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The hour-and-a-half tour of the “Oppenheimer” set at Ghost Ranch is open to those ages 10 and up. The cost is $45. To book a tour, you are asked to contact Ghost Ranch’s tour department via email: tours@ghostranch.org. The schedule can also be found online here.

“Oppenheimer” was filmed at multiple locations across New Mexico, including Los Alamos. To learn more about film locations, click here for more coverage by KRQE News 13.

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