Ronda's Puente Nuevo stars in Jason Statham's new international thriller

The Puente Nuevo and the Tagus river feature in Shelter, the new thriller starring the British actor, now available on Prime Video.

A panoramic shot shows Ronda perched above the gorge, with the Puente Nuevo bridge dominating the frame, while the caption "Ronda, Spain" appears directly on screen. The shot is from the final scenes of a production that also filmed on location in Ireland and Scotland in 2025.

In Shelter, Statham is back on familiar ground. The actor plays Mason, a man who lives in isolation on a remote island until a storm leads him to rescue a young girl. This encounter shatters his seclusion and brings back enemies from a past he thought he'd left behind, setting the stage for a tale of chase and survival.

Jason Statham built his popularity on the set of films such as The Transporter, The Expendables and the Fast & Furious franchise. On this occasion, he is also involved in the production of the film, directed by Ric Roman Waugh.

Waugh has previously worked in the genre with Greenland and Angel Has Fallen.

Alongside Statham is a cast featuring familiar faces from beyond the world of action films. Bill Nighy rose to international fame with Love Actually and later took on the role of the fearsome Davy Jones in the Pirates of the Caribbean series.

Naomi Ackie appeared in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and played Whitney Houston in I Wanna Dance with Somebody. The cast also includes actors Harriet Walter, Daniel Mays and the young Bodhi Rae Breathnach.

The film was released in Spanish cinemas on 27 March and is now available on Prime Video, where it currently ranks among the most-watched films in Spain.

Ronda has a long-standing relationship with the film industry. One of the most recent examples is The Seven Dials Mystery, a Netflix production filmed in September 2024.

The series features the Real Maestranza bullring, the Casa del Rey Moro, the Fuente de los Ocho Caños, the Arab baths, the Alameda del Tajo, the Plaza Duquesa de Parcent and the Puente Nuevo.

The Agatha Christie series' cast includes Mia McKenna-Bruce, Martin Freeman and Helena Bonham Carter.

Other major productions that have previously chosen Ronda as a filming location are HBO's His Dark Materials and Netflix's Feria. For their filming, certain corners of the town have managed to transform and adapt to the genre, without losing their distinctive character.

Now it's the turn of action films. The very same Puente Nuevo that has served as a backdrop for period dramas and mysteries enters the world of car chases. This time, Ronda does not remain anonymous behind the fiction: its name appears above the image of the Tagus river, clearly placing it at the heart of Shelter.

Explore the SUR in English culture and arts archive