Film History
Before retail stores and industry moved into town and planned communities were still a glimmer of an idea in a land speculator’s eye, Hollywood discovered the wide-open expanse and craggy rock formations of Simi Valley, using it as a frequent backdrop for television and film projects.
One of the earliest movie ranches in Simi Valley was Corriganville, which morphed into Hopetown for a short time before its demise in the 1980s. Tapo Ranch rose up in the 1940s and eventually became Big Sky. In the last 15 years, Allied Studios and Hummingbird Nest have also been added to the mix.
Like their cousins in San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys, the Simi Valley ranches all lie in what is known as the Thirty Mile Zone, an estimated 30-mile radius from the intersection of Western and Beverly Blvds and North La Cienega Blvd.
The productions that have been and are being filmed in Simi Valley today have helped shape the economic structure and culture of the community.
Television Shows & Films Were Shot in Simi Valley
The Big Lebowski
The film's infamous spiked White Russian may have been made by Jackie Treehorn in Malibu, but the movie itself was partially filmed in Simi Valley. You don't have to be a brother Seamus to deduce why Simi Valley is such a desirable cinematic spot.
Captain America: The First Avenger
Our most patriotic hero made his leap to the silver screen by way of Simi Valley. The movie brought the 1940s to the 2010s and (with the help of actor Chris Evans) brought Steve Rogers to life as a walking, talking, relatable hero to kids and grandparents alike.
Poltergeist
The late, great Tobe Hooper made clowns terrifying for even those brave few who weren't already afraid of them, with this story of Carol Anne Freeling and the various ghosts and ghouls that gravitate toward her. The house where the supernatural mayhem went down is in none other than Simi Valley.
Men In Black
Star Trek isn't the only production to go beyond the earthbound appeal of Simi Valley, as demonstrated by this classic comic adaptation about interstellar G-men.
NCIS
The Hummingbird Nest Ranch is another Simi Valley location long favored by filmmakers and television directors looking for the perfect natural backdrop to make their fictional worlds align with our real one. The naval crime drama NCIS has shot on the ranch, proof that the best way to solve crimes on the sea is by starting in a valley.
Star Trek:
The Next Generation
One visit to Simi Valley and you'll want to be assimilated too. Stardate: ASAP.
Current Projects
- Mayans MC
- Veronica Mars
- SWAT
- Veep
- The Good Place
- Await the Dawn
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
- Happily
- Straight Up
- ESPN
- Allstate
- Audi
- Colgate