Wales is poised to command the global spotlight in the world of filmmaking, thanks to Netflix’s latest action thriller, Havoc, starring Hollywood heavyweight Tom Hardy. The film’s creative team believe it will “put Wales on the map” for international productions.
Set against the backdrop of an unnamed American city, Havoc unfolds in the wake of a drug deal gone disastrously wrong, with Hardy portraying a “jaded” detective at the heart of the chaos. Despite its US setting, every scene — from high-octane car chases to explosive shootouts — was filmed entirely in Wales.
Hardy, alongside co-star Forest Whitaker, was spotted filming across south Wales in 2021. However, the production faced several setbacks due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the writers’ strike in the United States.
The film, which also features Luis Guzmán, Jessie Mei Li, and Timothy Olyphant, was the brainchild of Welsh director Gareth Evans, best known for his work on The Raid and the gritty series Gangs of London.
“I had this, like, one core image which was a corrupt cop in a crime scene where a drug deal’s gone wrong and for whatever reason he was scooping cocaine into a coffee cup,” Evans explained. “And it all mushroomed out from there.”
The director described it as “incredible” to have Hardy not only leading the cast but also serving as a producer. “One of the nicest things about Tom [is] I knew I was in my wheelhouse when it came to action filmmaking, but with Tom his skillset is deep dive explorations into morally complex characters and so we were able to fuse two styles together,” he said.
Raised in Hirwaun, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Evans remains based in Wales and was determined to bring work to his home nation. However, he acknowledged the challenge of transforming south Wales into a convincing American setting.
“I started going around, like, Swansea, Port Talbot, Cardiff and Newport, looking for any little bit of architecture that I could find that might pass as a little bit Americana,” Evans said. “And so we took a look and we thought if we can get 30% or 40% real in camera then the VFX (visual effects) can take care of the rest.”
Iconic Welsh locations were repurposed for the film: Swansea’s Brangwyn Hall doubled as the exterior of a US police precinct, Swansea University’s Bay Campus provided street scenes, and a fishing shack was constructed amid the countryside at Merthyr Mawr.
While Havoc was made in Wales, it was the result of a collaboration between US production company XYZ Films and Wales-based Severn Screen.
Aram Tertzakian, co-founder of XYZ Films and a long-time collaborator with Evans since 2018’s Apostle, spent much of the pandemic living in an Airbnb in Cardiff during production.
“Gareth brought me to Wales for this project because he is a great patriot and wanted to figure out how to make films in Wales,” Tertzakian said. He believes Havoc will significantly raise Wales’ profile within the film industry.
“I think it’s always been seen as an option but when they see Havoc and what we pulled off, I think it’s going to blow their minds and really make Wales a lot more viable for a lot of people,” he said.
He added warmly: “Wales is one of the good guys. You’ve got really hard working crews, a lot of dedication and love for the game. You get some amazing locations, both interiors and exteriors, and we had a blast.”
According to Netflix and Creative Wales, Havoc is the largest feature film ever shot entirely in Wales, with post-production also completed in Cardiff. Netflix revealed that its productions in Wales — which include the acclaimed series Sex Education — have generated more than £200 million for the UK economy since 2020.
Jack Sargeant, Wales’ Minister for Culture, praised the growing success of the nation’s creative sector, noting the “significant economic and reputational benefits” brought by projects like Havoc.
“We are immensely proud of our Welsh creative industries, which employ over 35,000 talented individuals, and the world-class infrastructure we have in place for film and TV productions,” he said.
