The Girl on the Train is a film.
Principal photography . Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed , with actors on set and cameras rolling , as distinct from pre-production and post-production . The Girl on the Train is a 2016 American mystery thriller drama film directed by Tate Taylor and written by Erin Cressida Wilson , based on Paula Hawkins ' 2015 debut novel of the same name . The film stars Emily Blunt , Rebecca Ferguson , Haley Bennett , Justin Theroux , Luke Evans , Allison Janney , Édgar Ramírez , and Lisa Kudrow , and follows an alcoholic divorcée who becomes involved in a missing persons investigation . Principal photography began on November 4 , 2015 in New York City . Produced by Marc Platt and DreamWorks Pictures , The Girl on the Train was the first DreamWorks Pictures film to be distributed by Universal Pictures , as part of DreamWorks ' new distribution deal via Amblin Partners .