Production
Mariel Hemingway, like Bruce Willis and Garner, signed up for the film for the chance to work with Blake Edwards. Hemingway confessed: "The movie sounded a little chaotic, but it had a secret weapon: it was directed by Blake Edwards who had made Breakfast at Tiffany's, a movie that was almost a religion with me. I couldn't pass up the chance to work with him."
Garner had fond memories of working with Edwards in Victor/Victoria (1982), and Willis and Edwards had a close working relationship after Willis had made his film debut in Edwards’s Blind Date. Throughout the pre-production phases of the film, Edwards counseled his young star that, "... he couldn't rely on the jokes and the leer" that had been his trademark in the Moonlighting television series (1985–1989). The relationship between the two male leads was not as sunny, however. After filming, Garner said he would never work with Willis again, saying: "Willis is high school. He's not that serious about his work. He thinks he's so clever he can just walk through it, make up dialogue and stuff. I don't think you work that way."
A running gag throughout the film was that Wyatt Earp cannot drive, though he does so on more than one occasion. Garner was considered an expert stunt driver and did quite a lot of his own driving on his TV series, The Rockford Files (1974–1980).
Edwards went to great lengths to re-create the 1920s Hollywood era, including a re-creation of the 1929 Academy Awards dinner, complete with a mime act that closely resembled the antics of silent screen comedians such as Charlie Chaplin. This focus on period detail was noted as one of the serious flaws in the staging of the film.
Principal photography on Sunset took place from April 6, 1987 and wrapped on July 2, 1987. The filming locations included locations in Southern California: Ambassador Hotel, 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood. For exteriors, the Orange Empire Railroad Museum, Perris, California (railroad scenes), the Bell Ranch, Santa Susana, California and Melody Ranch, 24715 Oak Creek Avenue, Newhall, California were utilized. Studio work took place at Culver City Studios.
