Hulu’s locked-room whodunit Death and Other Details has the ensemble cast of suspects all trapped on a cruise ship, but was it ever filmed out at sea? The answer, of course, is no, but thanks to some production magic the illusion of a real cruise liner is convincing enough. Despite all the murders, it still sounds more appealing than that nine-month-long TikTok cruise that is currently ongoing.
Death and Other Details Filming Locations
Vancouver, British Columbia
IMDb has the main location in Vancouver, and names Skydance Studios in British Columbia as the studio where the series was shot. With incredible tax breaks and accessibility, Vancouver has long been a go-to for film and TV crews, making top-quality productions and watching the budget at the same time.
Skydance has long been a major player in film and TV, with huge success stories such as Reacher, Foundation, and Jack Ryan in their catalog.
An interview with Entertainment Weekly would reveal that creators Mike Weiss, Heidi Cole McAdams, and Marc Webb realized that no real cruise ship could match their vision of the ship they envisaged so they had to create their own.
“Our incredibly talented production designer James Philpott recreated those details on stage. The scale of our sets — built to match the scale of those massive ships — was almost embarrassing. Our dining hall is two stories tall and could have hosted a high-end wedding if it wasn’t for all the camera equipment.”
Long Beach, California
It was a logistical nightmare to film on a real cruise liner, so the decision was made to use the next best thing. IMDb reports that out with the studio filming, the crew would utilize an actual Art Deco ocean liner from the 1930s, the RMS Queen Mary, that is permanently moored in the port of Long Beach, California. The ship has been used many times in other productions and has a hotel, a bar and restaurant, and event locations on board.
RMS Queen Mary | Image via Geoffrey Morrison/CNET
In the Entertainment Weekly interview, the show’s creators said the glamorous, meticulously restored ocean liner, the SS Varuna, is set in our contemporary world. “We did extensive research into the grand vessels of the era — particularly the SS Normandie and the Queen Mary, where we filmed some of the first episode.”
Gibraltar
Imogene is seen in some establishing shots heading to the ship to start the cruise, and eagle-eyed location hunters might be able to spot that the filming took place in Gibraltar. You can see the famous Rock of Gibraltar in the background.
Were the cast ever on the open sea?
Despite what you see on screen, no filming took place on a real cruise liner out at sea.
Some very clever effects were used to create the illusion of the ship sailing, with a full cast and crew onboard. No doubt some CGI and green screen would have been used to create the desired effect.
