10 Times Real Weather Ruined the Filming of Famous TV Shows and Movies
From hurricanes to snowstorms, unpredictable weather has wreaked havoc on film sets, turning ambitious shoots into chaotic adventures that often push budgets, timelines, and creativity to their limits!
- Alyana Aguja
- 4 min read
Mother Nature has quite often held the last word on Hollywood’s most ambitious projects, converting seemingly smooth shoots into weather-wrecked nightmares. From torrential rains that green the desert to hurricanes that level sets, volatile weather has thrown a wrench into some of the largest movies and television shows. These interruptions have caused delays, ballooning budgets, and even creative revisions, demonstrating that no amount of planning is enough to prepare for the wrath of the elements.
1. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) - Too Green for the Apocalypse
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Director George Miller had intended to film in the dry, barren Australian Outback, but unseasonal heavy rain transformed the desert into a verdant green expanse. This utterly destroyed the post-apocalyptic look, and the whole production had to shift to Namibia. The delay and relocation cost millions but eventually led to one of the most visually stunning films ever made.
2. Jaws (1975) - A Storm That Almost Drove Spielberg’s Career Underwater
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Filming on the open water was bad enough, but surprise storms kept production to a standstill, creating enormous delays and budget overruns. The mechanical shark would often malfunction in the choppy seas, and Steven Spielberg was reduced to using it sparingly—hilariously making the movie even more terrifying. The inclement weather added to the movie’s notoriously grueling five-month shoot rather than the scheduled two months.
3. The Revenant (2015) - Nature’s Revenge on the Crew
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The tough winter shoot was supposed to be done in Canada, but warm weather arrived unexpectedly, melting the snow and destroying vital scenes. Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu had to relocate production all the way to Argentina just to have snow once more. Leonardo DiCaprio suffered through icy waters, below-zero temperatures, and raw bison liver eating—all for his well-deserved Oscar.
4. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) - A Storm That Swept Away the Set
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Shooting in New Zealand’s picture-perfect landscapes was idyllic until a ferocious storm swept through and obliterated an entire set designed to stand in for the village of Bree. The set had to be rebuilt from scratch, which set it back and added to costs. New Zealand’s temperamental weather also made constant changes to the schedule during the trilogy’s exhausting 438-day shoot.
5. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006) - A Hurricane Causes Chaos
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During production in the Caribbean, Hurricane Wilma interrupted the shoot, leading to evacuations for the cast and crew. Hurricane Wilma wreaked havoc on some of the sets and resulted in huge delays, further swelling the budget. Johnny Depp and other crew members had to take shelter in hotels until the storm subsided.
6. Cast Away (2000) - A Tropical Nightmare
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Shooting on Fiji’s Monuriki Island was essential for realism, but the weather didn’t cooperate. A major storm destroyed much of the crew’s equipment and sets, forcing delays. To make matters worse, a drought followed, killing much of the lush greenery they needed for filming.
7. The Shining (1980) - The Snowstorm That Changed the Ending
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Stanley Kubrick carefully scripted all the details, but a huge snowstorm engulfed the Overlook Hotel’s outside set. This prompted Kubrick to alter the originally planned climax since it was impossible to reach the set for weeks. In place of a complex chase outdoors, the climactic showdown between Jack Nicholson and Danny Torrance was relocated indoors.
8. The Hateful Eight (2015) - Too Little Snow for a Blizzard Movie
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Quentin Tarantino’s movie was to be filmed in an infinite snowy wasteland, but a surprise heat wave melted most of the snow in Colorado. The crew had to desperately look for alternative locations and bring in artificial snow to continue filming on time. The twist? The crew had spent weeks preparing for the harsh winter weather they never actually experienced.
9. Waterworld (1995) - Sinking Under Bad Weather
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The floating set constructed off the coast of Hawaii was already logistically complicated, but Mother Nature intervened to make things worse. Parts of the set were devastated by a massive storm, and the rebuilds and delays proved expensive. The choppy seas also made filming very difficult, helping contribute to the notoriously bloated budget of the movie.
10. Game of Thrones (2011-2019) - Winter Came Too Soon
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The show’s production frequently depended on locations in the real world, but bad weather consistently became a nuisance. A significant storm in Season 2 wrecked half of the Battle of Blackwater Bay set, halting production and leading to expensive reshoots. Subsequent seasons also encountered issues when shooting in Iceland, where freak snowstorms buried equipment and stranded personnel.