INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

‘Longmire’ Season 5: Premiere Date Six Months Out As Filming Begins In New Mexico

By Nicholas Kitonyi
Published on: 12:58 PST, Mar 22, 2016

Longmire Season 5 is finally upon us after production was announced today following the renewal by Netflix at the end of October last year. Unlike A&E, the television network which originally aired the show from the first to the third season, Netflix did not waste time before announcing the renewal of the American crime drama series.

And today, news emerged via social media and a press release that production of the fifth season of the series had begun as some of Longmire‘s cast members posted on their social media pages. New Mexico-based news blog Neighbors Santa Fe New Mexican reported that Longmire Season 5 will be filmed in Santa Fe, NM, to back up reports posted on social media.

Lou Diamond Philips, who plays the role of Henry Standing Bear, confirmed on his Twitter page posting a photo of himself and fellow cast members saying, “It’s On, Longmire Season 5 officially kicks off”.

Reports also indicate that photography will begin at the end of March with filming scheduled to continue through June. New Mexico Film Office Director Nick Maniatis announced today that Netflix will begin principle photography immediately as the producers of the show aim for a September premiere, which will mirror the premiere date for Longmire Season 4 on the same streaming network.

Other locations penciled to host filming include Las Vegas, Los Alamos (Valles Caldera), Espanola, Glorieta, and Pecos. In welcoming the news that Longmire Season 5 will film in their cities, the mayors for Santa Fe and Las Vegas had warm words with regard to Longmire Season 5 filming.

The mayor for Santa Fe City, Javier M. Gonzales, said that Longmire “is more than just a great show, it truly showcases the incredible beauty of Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico, and continues to help grow our reputation as one of the country’s leading film communities.”

On the other hand, counterpart Alfonso E. Ortiz, Jr, the mayor for Las Vegas, was thrilled by the news that Longmire was returning for a fifth season in the city, citing the city’s Historic Plaza as an iconic figure in the film-making industry.

“Cast and crew have become family to our community and are a welcome sight during production season we are pleased Longmire continues to bring visual recognition to Las Vegas as a film location and its landscape and architectural versatility. We are grateful for the many positive economic impressions they leave on so many businesses throughout Las Vegas.”

Longmire revolves around the title character Sheriff Walter Longmire played by Robert Taylor, a Wyoming county sheriff who returns to work following the death of his wife. And with the assistance of his friends and daughter Cady Longmire, played by Cassidy Freeman (Smallville and The Vampire Diaries), he investigates major crimes in the county while still battling other political and family challenges.

The Netflix series is based on the best-selling eight-part series novels Walt Longmire Mysteries, written by Graig Johnson. Johnson is set to host three fundraising events on April 29-30 at different locations in Effingham. So as fans wait for the Longmire Season 5 premiere, they could catch up with the author of the story as they warm up for the show.

The production of Longmire Season 5 will contribute significantly to the economies of the affected locations. The film office said that the production is set to create employment for 150 New Mexico crew members while more than 1,000 could contribute in the form of New Mexico backroom talent.

Last year, after the conclusion of Longmire Season 4, several fans lobbied to try to get the series renewed for Season 5. The Inquisitr reported this story citing how Longmire fans had managed to get the hashtag #LongmireS5Netflix trending on Twitter.

So, did the fans play a role in getting Longmire renewed for Season 5? According to one Inquisitr report, a huge event had been planned as more fans tried to campaign for a fifth season of the Western-themed crime drama series.

So, it appears as though Longmire fans eventually got what they asked for. On the same note, fans will be hoping for another cutting edge season of Longmire when Season 5 premieres on Netflix in September.

[Image via Netflix]

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