In 2002 , Martin Campbell announced that he was planning to adapt '' Edge of Darkness '' for the cinema . Active development began in early 2007 when Campbell met with producer Graham King , who first enlisted Australian playwright Andrew Bovell to write , and then William Monahan ( fresh from winning an Academy Award for King 's '' The Departed '' ) to re-write the screenplay . Michael Wearing and BBC Films also co-produced the film . Filming began on 18 August 2008 in Boston , Massachusetts . A scene where Craven scatters his daughter 's ashes at a beach was filmed at Rockport on 25 and 26 September . They shot some scenes in Merrimac , Massachusetts from 15 September 2008 to 18 September 2008 . Additional scenes were shot in Malden , Massachusetts in the old Malden hospital . Some of the final scenes were shot at a home in Manchester-by-the-Sea , Massachusetts . Additionally , Gibson and his crew set up shop for filming in western Massachusetts , with 180 staff staying in Northampton hotels . They shot in various locations in the Pioneer Valley , including Tully O'Reilly 's Pub , the Northampton Athletic Club , and an older part of the Hampshire County Courthouse , all in Northampton . Also , Sugarloaf Mountain was shut down for a few days while they rented it out . They also filmed at the Notch Visitor Center , Rt. 116 , Amherst . The film takes place in America , unlike the television series , which was based in England . " The idea was to transfer the story to a different time and place rather than just repeat what we did in England , " Campbell said . " Boston seemed like the perfect location because it does have a whole English , Irish signature on it . " Jack Bennett disembarks from a helicopter in one scene . The FAA registration number , N401LH , is visible on the fuselage . This helicopter later collided with a Piper PA-32 on 8 August 2009 , over the Hudson River , resulting in nine deaths . The helicopter was owned by Liberty Helicopters , which offers sight-seeing tours around Manhattan . The film was originally scored by classical composer John Corigliano . However , the decision was made during postproduction ( after Corigliano 's score had been recorded and dubbed ) to replace his score with a new one by Howard Shore
N401LH
2009 Hudson River mid-air collision
Edge of Darkness (2010 film)