Filming in Hungary: Ron Howard’s Newest Feature Film
zita kisgergely
The acclaimed director, who has won multiple awards during a career spanning six decades, has been filming his latest movie ALONE AT DAWN in Hungary since autumn 2025.
Anne Hathaway & Adam Driver to star in ALONE AT DAWN. Picture via Imdb.
The veteran director who has two academy awards, seven Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes under his belt is back in Hungary. The last time he was in the country filming was ten years ago when Budapest doubled as Italy in his movie Inferno, the sequel to The Da Vinci Code. This time Howard has brought production for his latest film–a military drama adapted from the 2019 book of the same name by Dan Schilling and Lori Chapman Longfritz–to Budapest.
Starring Adam Driver and Anne Hathaway, Alone at Dawn recounts the true events of the Battle of Takur Gheri on March 4th, 2002, during the Afghanistan war, and the heroic actions of American Airforce Combat Controller John Chapman (played by Adam Driver). Sergeant Chapman, despite being wounded when his helicopter was shot down by rocket-propelled grenades and machine gun fire, managed to save 23 of his comrades on that day by attacking the bunkers of al-Qaeda fighters. Tragically, while ensuring his Navy SEAL unit was able to retreat to safety, he was killed in the process. 16 years later, Chapman’s widow finally received the military’s highest honour for her husband’s heroic acts.
According to reports, Budapest has provided primarily interior locations such as those set in prisons and police stations. For exterior shots focussing on the action scenes of the battle itself, a quarry in Fejér County is being used. Residents in the area had been prior warned to expect temporary road closures as well as the sounds of gunfire and explosions while the quarry was transformed to replicate a large-scale war zone located in a rocky mountainous region of Afghanistan.
The stars of the film have already been spotted around Budapest by eagle-eyed observers. Anne Hathaway, who also plays a key supporting role in the movie, was seen filming in downtown Budapest outside a billiards establishment with other crew members. Driver was also photographed when he attended a classical music marathon late last year at the Liszt Music Academy (more on that here). An Oscar nominee and former marine, Driver had expressed interest in working on a military-based film. This made him a natural choice to portray the main character’s story.
Supported by Amazon MGM Studios, the feature is reportedly scheduled to continue production in Hungary until 11 February 2026 with an expected release date of late 2026 or early 2027.
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