How 'Funky DIY' Comedy “Stop! That! Train!” Filmed in Just 19 Days: 'Drag Queens Are Very Adaptable' (Exclusive)

Lily Brown, Nigel SmithTue, June 2, 2026 at 10:00 AM UTC

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RuPaul and Matt Rogers in 'Stop! That! Train!'
Credit: Courtesy of Bleeker Street and World of Wonder -

Stop! That! Train! was filmed in just 19 days, with musical numbers shot in as little as two hours

Director Adam Shankman credits the cast's camaraderie and adaptability for the film's success under a tight schedule

The movie marks the first feature in the Drag Race franchise

Stop! That! Train! was filmed in just 19 days, according to director Adam Shankman.

The film, which is about two stewardesses who must save the day when a catastrophic storm threatens to derail a high-speed train, stars RuPaul's Drag Race alumni Ginger Minj, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Jujubee, Marcia Marcia Marcia, Symone and more, putting drag queens front and center in the first movie set within the Drag Race franchise.

“We also shot it in 19 days. So we were moving real fast and ... almost all the cameos were shot in half a day,” Shankman, 61, said in a May 27 panel conversation at People Inc. in New York City. “I think each musical number I shot for maybe two hours. So this is some funky DIY s---.”

Jujubee, Ginger Minj, Brooke Lynn Hytes, RuPaul, Symone, Marcia Marcia Marcia and Latrice Royale
Credit: Chad Salvador/Variety via Getty

Despite the tight schedule, Shankman said the production benefited from filming many of the musical numbers in confined spaces, which “made it easier.” As he puts it, “there was only so much you could do.”

Shankman has known RuPaul since 1994 and the two previously worked together on Drag Race. With Drag Race approaching its 20th anniversary, Stop! That! Train! marks the first feature film in the franchise.

Director Adam Shankman and cast attend a preview screening of 'Stop! That! Train!'
Credit: Astrid Stawiarz

Written by Christina Friel and Connor Wright, the film delivered plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. But according to Shankman, there was less improvisation than audiences might expect.

“There was much less improv than you think, going on, on the set because the comedians really wanted to do what was written because they thought it was funny,” he says.

For Marcia Marcia Marcia, spending 19 days immersed in that environment was one of the highlights of the experience.

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“It was really fun,” she says. “I think what's so great about drag queens [is] that we're very adaptable. We're very self-capable. That's not an expression, but you know what I mean.”

She also credits the cast's natural camaraderie for helping everything come together, citing "trauma bonding" for building their rapport.

Jujubee and Brooke Lynn Hytes attend a preview screening of 'Stop! That! Train!'
Credit: Astrid Stawiarz

Brooke shared a similar perspective, calling the 19 days in which the movie was shot a "dream," although a tightly-packed set of days as well.

“Like Adam said, we shot it in 19 days, so you didn't have any time to think about anything, you just did and you kind of hoped for the best and gave it your best shot," she said.

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For a cast used to working under pressure, filming a feature in less than three weeks felt surprisingly familiar — just on a much bigger stage.

“We did shoot this in 19 days and I just want to point out you cannot even get a full season of Drag Race shop in 19 days,” Minj joked. "So to do a feature film in that length of time, I'm so grateful that we had our time on Drag Race to prepare us for that because, you know, on Drag Race you're like, 'Here's the script, you've got two hours, pull it together and go shoot it.' "

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