Season 2 of 'Dark Winds' filming in Santa Fe, Tesuque Pueblo

Dec. 18—The New Mexico Film Office announced Friday filming for the second season of the AMC drama mystery series Dark Winds has begun in and around Santa Fe and Tesuque Pueblo.

The show, based on the Leaphorn and Chee novels by noted New Mexico author and former New Mexican editor Tony Hillerman, tells the story of Navajo Nation police Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Deputy Jim Chee. Set on a remote outpost of the Navajo Nation in the 1970s, the first season followed an investigation by the pair of tribal officers into seemingly unrelated crimes to find out what happened to a young girl and an elderly man who were found dead.

New Mexico Film Office director Amber Dodson said in the announcement that AMC began filming principal photography in November and will continue through 2023.

The cast features several prominent Native actors, including Zahn McClarnon, who is Hunkpapa Lakota, as Leaphorn; and Kiowa Gordon, who is a member of the Hualapai tribe in Arizona, as Chee. McClarnon is best known for his performances in Westworld and the Western crime drama series Longmire and his portrayal of Officer Big in Reservation Dogs, while Gordon is best known for his role as Embry Call in The Twilight Saga.

Last season also starred local Navajo actor DezBaa, who played Helen, a mother whose daughter was mysteriously killed.

The production will provide jobs to New Mexico residents, including 18 crew members, 10 extras and five actors.

The first season of the series was filmed in Santa Fe, Española, Cochiti Pueblo, Tesuque and the Navajo Nation. It premiered in June and has been nominated for Best Action/Thriller Television Series at the 2022 Saturn Awards.

The series is being produced in part by the author of the Game of Thrones book series and Santa Fe resident George R.R. Martin. It is being co-produced by actor Robert Redford and executive TV producer Vince Calandra. It is being directed by Betsy Burke, best known for the short film Teardrop.

Hillerman, the writer of the books that inspired Dark Winds, is an Oklahoma native who lived in Santa Fe in the 1950s and 1960s.

The new season is expected to air in 2023.

"We can't wait to share the rest of this thrill ride of a first season with the fans and follow Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee into a second season on AMC and AMC+ next year," said Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks.

Neither the New Mexico Film Office nor AMC responded to emails from The New Mexican on Saturday.