The Bluff (2026) Filming Locations Revealed — Why Priyanka Chopra’s Pirate Epic Was Shot in Australia, Not the Caribbean

You’d never guess it from watching the film, but the sun-drenched beaches, crashing waves, and rugged coastline you see in The Bluff are not the Cayman Islands. They’re Queensland, Australia. That’s the magic of modern filmmaking — and it’s one of the most fascinating production stories behind one of Amazon Prime Video’s biggest 2026 action releases.

The Bluff (2026) — Key Production Details

What Is The Bluff About?

Set in the late 19th-century Caribbean, The Bluff follows Ercell “Bloody Mary” Bodden (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) — a former pirate who has put her violent past behind her, found peace in the Cayman Islands, and built a loving family with her husband T.H. (Ismael Cruz Córdova) and son Isaac. That peace is shattered when her ruthless former captain, Connor (Karl Urban), returns seeking revenge. Armed with lethal swordsmanship, cunning traps, and an iron will to protect her family, Ercell is forced back into the brutal world she escaped.

Think Taken meets Pirates of the Caribbean — but grittier, more personal, and significantly more grounded in practical action.

Where Was The Bluff Filmed?

Queensland, Australia — The Primary Location

Despite its Caribbean soul, the vast majority of The Bluff was filmed in Queensland, northeastern Australia. The Gold Coast’s coastline proved a near-perfect visual double for the Cayman Islands — sun-drenched, rugged, and atmospheric.

The production set up base at Village Roadshow Studios in Oxenford, one of Australia’s premier film facilities, which features 12 sound stages including three of the country’s largest water tanks — essential for the film’s many maritime sequences involving open ocean and ship-based action scenes.

The suburb of Helensvale within Gold Coast was also used for several key outdoor sequences. The entire production injected approximately $42 million into Queensland’s local economy and created around 600 jobs for local screen industry professionals — a significant win for Australian filmmaking infrastructure.

Cayman Islands — The Real Deal (For Some Scenes)

A smaller portion of the film was actually shot on location in the real Cayman Islands, including sequences at Skull Cave and The Bluff — the actual highest point on the island of Cayman Brac, which gives the film its title. These authentic location shots bring genuine texture and atmosphere that no studio could fully replicate.

Production Story — From Zoe Saldaña to Priyanka Chopra

The road to screen was a long one. Originally announced in February 2021 with Zoe Saldaña attached as lead and Netflix as distributor, the project dramatically shifted course. In January 2024, Priyanka Chopra Jonas stepped in as lead (with Saldaña staying on as executive producer). By March 2024, Amazon MGM Studios had acquired distribution rights and Karl Urban had joined the cast. Production finally got underway in June 2024, wrapping in early August.

Priyanka herself revealed she performed the majority of her own stunts, telling Entertainment Tonight that stunt doubles were used sparingly — mostly as coaches rather than replacements — because the emotional performance needed her face on camera throughout the action sequences.

The Russo Brothers (Anthony and Joe) produced through their company AGBO, bringing Avengers: Endgame-level cinematic ambition to what is ultimately an intimate, fierce story about a mother protecting her family.

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