Oscar-Winning Director Set to Film a Gold Rush Epic in Northern California
Northern California is once again stepping into the Hollywood spotlight, this time with a Gold Rush-era film led by an Oscar-winning director.
According to a release from the Governor’s Office, Ang Lee is preparing to film portions of his next movie, Gold Mountain, in and around the Sacramento region. The project is described as an epic story set during the California Gold Rush and is scheduled to begin production in 2026.
State officials confirmed that the film has secured 50 out-of-zone filming days in Sacramento County, though much of the on-location shooting is expected to take place in nearby Placer County and El Dorado County, areas rich with authentic Gold Rush landscapes. Filming is currently slated to begin in June 2026.
The film is based on the acclaimed novel How Much of These Hills Is Gold, which follows two Chinese American siblings navigating the upheaval and violence of the Gold Rush era. The screenplay adaptation was written by Chang-rae Lee, a PEN Award–winning author and Stanford professor.
Casting details have not yet been announced, though early casting calls in the Sacramento area suggest the story will foreground Asian American perspectives rarely depicted in Gold Rush films.
Gold Mountain marks Lee’s first feature since Gemini Man and follows a career that includes Best Director Oscar wins for Brokeback Mountain and Life of Pi. The title itself nods to the name Chinese immigrants once used for California—an enduring symbol of hope, risk, and reinvention.
