Summary
- “Special Ops: Lioness” is a new spy thriller TV series created by Taylor Sheridan, known for his successful shows like “Yellowstone” and “Mayor of Kingstown.”
- The show revolves around a special ops team called Lioness, which utilizes female undercover operatives to infiltrate the lives of targets.
- The production crew filmed the series in various locations around the world, including Paris, Fort Ritchie in Maryland, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware, and Mallorca in Spain.
The Paramount+ spy thriller television series Special Ops: Lioness was created by Taylor Sheridan, the mind behind Yellowstone, 1883, 1923, Mayor of Kingstown, and Tulsa King. The filmmaker has many successful television shows under his belt in a short amount of time, and he is looking to add one more with Special Ops: Lioness, which is undoubtedly one of Sheridan’s most star-studded creations. The cast includes Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Kelly, Jill Wagner, and Laysla De Oliveira. In addition to signing on major stars for the project, the production crew fully committed to making the show great and filmed the series in various parts of the world.
As the name suggests, Special Ops: Lioness revolves around a special ops team that goes by the name, Lioness. Zoe Saldaña’s character Joe is an officer in the Central Intelligence Agency who runs the Lioness program from the field, and Nicole Kidman’s character Kaitlyn Meade is a high-ranking member of the CIA overseeing Joe’s team. Lioness is unique because it focuses on utilizing female undercover operatives and having them infiltrate the lives of targets. They get close to a specific target’s female loved ones, which, as seen in the opening moments of the premiere, doesn’t always work out. To create Special Ops: Lioness‘s world, the cast and crew traveled to many countries and cities.
Paris, France
According to Dexerto, the cast and crew of Special Ops: Lioness flew to Paris, France, to film a few scenes for the final episodes of the first season of the Paramount+ television series. The context of the sequences is unclear since the streaming service has only dropped two episodes of the show as of the writing of this article. However, reports claim that Zoe Saldaña and the other actors who make up her character’s Lioness team filmed scenes at the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, and other iconic Parisian locations.
The special ops team’s mission involving Aaliyah Amrohi and her father must lead them to Paris. The city is briefly mentioned during episode 2’s first scene when Joe informs Kaitlyn that Cruz had briefly stopped in Paris while befriending Aaliyah. But only time will tell what Saldaña’s Joe, Laysla De Oliveira’s Cruz Manuelos, Jill Wagner’s Bobby, James Jordan’s Two Cups, LaMonica Garrett’s Tucker, and the other Lioness members are doing in Paris during the finale of Special Ops: Lioness.
Fort Ritchie, Maryland, United States
Since most of Special Ops: Lioness focuses on the military, creator Taylor Sheridan and his production team needed to find a location to serve as the backdrop for the show’s military base, and they chose Fort Ritchie in Maryland, United States. Fort Ritchie is an inactive military base, so it was the ideal pick for the Paramount+ series. The cast and crew took full advantage of Fort Ritchie as they used the grounds and surrounding areas for plenty of scenes in Special Ops: Lioness. They also cast local military personnel as background characters during these sequences to further add to the show’s authenticity.
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
While the cast of Special Ops: Lioness traveled overseas to shoot a handful of scenes, the actors and the crew filmed a majority of the first season in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States. Similar to the future sequences in Paris, the filmmakers used multiple high-profile destinations in the city for the show, like the National Aquarium, Baltimore City Hall, the Lafayette Monument, and the Emerson Tower. It seems as though Maryland was the perfect location for the Special Ops: Lioness production team since they utilized plenty of spots in the state while filming the show, including the town of Severn.
Washington D.C., United States
Special Ops: Lioness focuses on a United States government-operated team, so it would only make sense that part of the Paramount+ series was filmed in the country’s capital — Washington D.C. The editors include various shots of notable Washington D.C. monuments, including the Washington Monument and the National Mall, throughout the episodes. Reports also claim that some sequences were filmed outside the White House for future episodes, meaning that the President of the United States might appear in the show. Or perhaps the audience will only ever meet someone in the President’s cabinet, like Morgan Freeman’s Edwin Mullins, the Secretary of State in Special Ops: Lioness.
Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware, United States
Dexerto also reports that Taylor Sheridan and his production crew chose Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware, United States, as the backdrop for one scene in Special Ops: Lioness. Apparently, two actresses filmed the sequence in the water, but it is unclear which cast members of the Paramount+ series they were. The scene also involved multiple extras in bathing suits, but given the nature of the show, it might be safe to assume that the sequence isn’t just a fun girls’ day at the beach.
Cape Henlopen State Park is home to over six miles of coastline and features the “Point,” which is where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. The park has a rich history, as it was one of the United States’ first public lands and was home to Fort Miles, an important military base formed during World War II. With its military history, Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware was likely the perfect location for Sheridan’s Special Ops: Lioness.
Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
One of the most stunning locations used in Paramount+’s Special Ops: Lioness is Mallorca, which is the largest island of the Balearic Islands in Spain. The likes of Nicole Kidman, Zoe Saldaña, and Jill Wagner were spotted on the island, and pictures of Saldaña filming scenes in full military gear on the beach circulated on the internet In February 2023. The photos show the actress, in character as Joe, wading through the shallow waters while wielding her gun. A pair of flippers were attached to her costume, so it appears the Lioness team was prepared to swim great distances while tracking a target.
The beauty of Mallorca is unlike any other, so fans should be able to recognize the location once the scenes filmed on the island air in a future episode. Perhaps Aaliyah has a desire to go to Spain, and the Lioness team follows her and Cruz there. Whatever the case, Taylor Sheridan and Paramount+ undoubtedly pulled out all the stops for Special Ops: Lioness.
Source: Dexerto