1988 Young Guns is set in the Wild West, but where was the movie filmed; here’s every key filming location. Biographical western Young Guns chronicles the misadventures of outlaw Billy the Kid and his gang during the Lincoln County War that took place in New Mexico during the late 1870s. The movie was dubbed the “Brat Pack western” by critics thanks to its cast of big-name ’80s actors like Emilio Estevez as Billy the Kid and Kiefer Sutherland as Doc Scurlock.
Young Guns didn’t fare too well with critics, but the western was a box office hit and grossed over $45 million against its $11 million budget. The movie also got the seal of approval from Wild West historian Paul Andrew Hutton who praised it for being more historically accurate than most previous Billy the Kid biopics – apart from the ending, that is, which he noted veered off course and favored a big Hollywood-style finale over sticking to historical facts.
While the plot wasn’t entirely accurate, Young Guns’ filming locations were certainly authentic as the movie was shot mostly in New Mexico where it’s also set. The tiny town of Los Cerrillos, New Mexico stood in for Lincoln – where much of the Lincoln County War was actually fought – and was transformed by the Young Guns crew to look historically accurate by giving its storefronts an era-appropriate makeover and covering its asphalted main street with dirt. Other scenes were filmed at neighboring living history museum El Rancho de las Golondrinas and at Tesuque Pueblo just north of Santa Fe.
The Young Guns cast and crew also filmed scenes at other notable New Mexico locations including Galisteo and Ojo Caliente. Other Young Guns filming locations include Santa Fe’s Bonanza Creek Movie Ranch too, which has been a base for many other movie productions including fellow westerns like Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, All The Pretty Horses, Cowboys & Aliens and James Mangold’s 2007 remake of 3:10 To Yuma.
Young Guns birthed a sequel – the aptly titled Young Guns II – that was released in 1990 and revisited Billy the Kid lore via the story of Brushy Bill Roberts, a man who claimed to be the legendary outlaw despite his reported death in 1881. If recent reports turn out to be true, a third Young Guns movie might happen soon too. Earlier in 2021, Young Guns star Emilio Estevez stated a threequel was already in the works and hinted that it would dive deeper into the often disputed circumstances of Billy the Kid’s death.
