Made in New Jersey: Netflix’s New Thriller ‘The Whisper Man’ Has a Familiar Address

Netflix’s newest thriller The Whisper Man leaves fans guessing from beginning to end. One thing that’s not in question? Where the movie was filmed.

Based on the New York Times bestselling novel by Alex North, The Whisper Man follows a widowed crime writer (Adam Scott) who looks to his estranged father (Robert De Niro), a retired police detective, for help when his eight-year-old son is abducted. However, he soon discovers a connection with the decades-old case of a convicted serial killer known as "The Whisper Man."

Much like the family at the center of the whodunit thriller, production didn't just pass through New Jersey — they moved in. The Whisper Man employed over 140 cast and crew with an additional 1,400 extras & daily hires. During the 45-day production, we worked with more than 650 vendors and businesses, including Spot On Weather in Marlboro and Video Alchemy in Cedar Grove, two local vendors who've felt that impact firsthand.

“It was a production team we had done many other jobs with, and being right in our backyard made it extra special,” said Visual Alchemy owner Michael Sime, whose company also worked on Netflix’s A House of Dynamite and supplied gear for Big Mistakes, Happy Gilmore 2, Little Brother and The Watcher. “Netflix has kept us pretty busy in NJ, and we’re among those very excited to see the Fort Monmouth stages open!”

The Whisper Man filmed across 22 New Jersey cities and towns such as Allendale, Hoboken, Jersey City, Kearny, Montclair, Newark, Paterson, Plainfield, Rahway, Scotch Plains and Woodland Park. From a decommissioned motel in Bayonne to a train station in Summit, from Westwood Diner Pancake House to Wilson Elementary School in Westfield, the production turned everyday New Jersey locations into the world of the film.

“Not only is it great for the local economy; it's a big boost to places in Jersey with all of these productions coming to the state,” said Spot-on Weather owner Brett Zweiback.

Multiple sets throughout The Whisper Man ran on clean battery power — including at Garrett Mountain, where production benefited from using mobile batteries to power location shoots that would have been more difficult to capture if they relied on traditional diesel generators. The crew also utilized a portable, fast charger to help power EVs during production. 

For Anthony Pisani, the movie’s location manager, filming in New Jersey was a bit of a homecoming after working on two other projects in the state. 

“For me, it is the accessibility at the state level. Someone is always available to reach out to, to help resolve any issues,” said Pisani, who served in the same role in the Garden State on our upcoming comedy Bad Day. “They always rise to the challenge to jump and help municipalities that aren’t as familiar with the filming process to set up in-person or virtual meetings to help move things along and explain how the process works, which always makes the experience much smoother and eases any worries."

The Whisper Man, which debuted at #2 on the Global English Films list with 23.2M views, caps a busy summer for New Jersey on Netflix with 72 Hours, Don’t Say Good Luck, Little Brother, Office Romance and Roommates. Our upcoming films from the Garden State include Bad Day and Here Comes the Flood.

For more stories about the impact our films and series have on economies, industries and culture, check out The Netflix Effect.