What's filming in Toronto this spring and summer
Toronto's production slate couldn't be more packed this spring and summer. Some of the most anticipated projects include Heroes Reborn, a revival of Tim Kring's cult NBC show; Suicide Squad, a DC Comics adaptation that is so secret it's operating under the moniker Bravo 14; and Damien, the small screen continuation of The Omen, which follows The Antichrist into his early adulthood.
Here's a rundown of productions filming in Toronto this spring and summer.
Heroes Reborn
Shooting: April 6 to September 18
Starring: Jack Coleman, Masi Oka
Plot: A 13-episode miniseries reviving the cult NBC series that ran from 2006-2010. Jack Coleman and Masi Oka reprise their roles as Noah Bennet and Hiro Nakamura, as a new group of ordinary people discover they have extraordinary abilities.
Reign Season 2
Shooting: Now until April 15
Starring: Adelaide Kane
Plot: This historical teen drama, focusing on the early years of Mary, Queen of Scots, is filming the last few episodes of its second season airing now on The CW.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2
Shooting: May 11 to June 6
Starring: Nia Vardolos, John Corbett
Plot: Ryerson alum Nia Vardalos returns with a sequel to the movie that put her on Hollywood's radar back in 2002. This time, Toula and Ian are dealing with parenthood, as another Portokalos family wedding promises to be bigger than the last. Unfortunately, a family secret promises to put a major damper on the festivities.
Cheerleader Death Squad (Pilot)
Shooting: Now until April 8
Key People: Marc Cherry, Mark Waters
Plot: The creator of Desperate Housewives (Cherry) and the director of Mean Girls (Waters) are shooting a pilot for The CW about three cheerleaders recruited by a disgraced former CIA agent turned teacher who starts using them as his spies in an effort to earn his way back into the agency.
The Girlfriend Experience
Shooting: Now until June 5
Starring: Riley Keough
Plot: A 13-episode anthology series inspired by the 2009 Steven Soderbergh movie of the same name that starred porn star-turned-actress Sasha Grey as a high-end call girl who specializes in posing as her clients' girlfriend. This time Elvis Presley's grandchild, Riley Keough, replaces Grey as a new call girl in the lead role.
Suicide Squad (aka Bravo 14)
Shooting: April 15 to Aug 30
Starring: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Viola Davis, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman
Plot: Various DC Comics super villains, including Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang and Enchantress, are recruited to carry out covert ops for the U.S. Government in exchange for commuted sentences. However, failure to comply means the bomb implanted in each one of their heads goes off.
Damien
Shooting: Now until June 23
Starring: Bradley James
Plot: King Arthur in the Merlin BBC series leads this Lifetime drama that follows the creepy kid from The Omen as an adult when he must realize and confront his destiny as The Antichrist.
Dark Matter
Shooting: Now until May 15
Starring: Melissa O'Neil
Plot: Based on the Dark Horse comic book of the same name and starring Canadian Idol season 3 winner Melissa O'Neil, this Syfy series follows six people who wake up in a spacecraft without their memories before landing on a mining colony. They meet the locals who tell them of a group of mercenaries being sent to kill the colonists and soon they discover that they are those mercenaries.
Minority Report (Pilot)
Shooting: Now until April 30
Starring: Meagan Good, Wilmer Valderrama
Plot: Set ten years after the Tom Cruise film on which it is based, this TV series follows a male "precog" who can psychically predict murders before they happen and teams with a female detective to find a purpose for his gift.
Schitt's Creek Season 2
Shooting: April 13 to June 30
Starring: Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara
Plot: Renewed for a second season before it even aired on CBC, we assume season two chronicles the continued misadventures of the riches-to-rags Rose family as they begin to get used to life in the backwater town patriarch Johnny Rose (Levy) once bought as a joke.
11/22/63
Shooting: May 25 to "To be Confirmed"
Starring: James Franco
Plot: A miniseries based on Stephen King's novel of the same name produced by J.J. Abrams. Franco plays Jake Epping, an english teacher who goes back in time to stop the assassination of J.F.K., only to find that his success leads to a nuclear apocalypse in present day. He goes back again to stop himself, but radiation poisoning means it's a race against time.
Defiance Season 3
Shooting: Now until June 11
Starring: Grant Bowler, Julie Benz
Plot: In 2046, the typography of the earth has been radically transformed. Plant and animal species have died and various alien races known as Votans co-exist with humans. The series follows Joshua Nolan (Bowler) and his adopted daughter Irisa (Stephanie Leonidas) as they plant roots in Defiance - a city-state built over the ruins of St. Louis.
Warrior (Pilot)
Shooting: Now until April 30
Starring: Natalie Martinez, Will Yun Lee
Plot: This martial arts series promises a touch of magical realism when a damaged heroine named Kai Forrester works under the physical and spiritual guidance of a martial arts master to take down an international crime lord.
Hemlock Grove Season 3
Shooting: Now until April 30
Starring: Famke Jansen
Plot: This supernatural thriller is shooting its third and final season for Netflix. It follows roma boy Peter Rumancek and blue blood heir Roman Godfrey as they struggle to keep their true beastly nature a secret from the Townsfolk of Hemlock Grove, Pennsylvania.
Rogue Season 3
Shooting: Now until September 11
Starring: Thandie Newton, Cole Hauser
Plot: Production moves from Vancouver (standing in for San Fransisco) to Toronto (standing in for Chicago) for the third season of this action-thriller because Ethan Kelly (Hauser) is hot on the trail of Grace's (Newton) abductors.
Special Correspondents
Shooting: May 19 to June 29
Starring: Ricky Gervais, Eric Bana
Plot: Ricky Gervais pulls triple duty as the writer, director and star of this remake of a 2009 French comedy. The film also stars Eric Bana as a struggling radio journalist whose arrogance and decadent lifestyle has hindered his career, so he fakes war reports from the front lines in one last desperate attempt to get his career back on track.
Suits Season 5
Shooting: April 6 to November 6
Starring: Patrick J. Adams, Gabriel Macht
Plot: This staple of Toronto's production landscape is back, as fans finally get to see the fallout from Mike's proposal to Rachel last season, what happens in Donna's new job as Louis' secretary after her split from Harvey and where Forstman ends up following the Eric Woodall case.
Two Lovers and a Bear
Shooting: Now until April 30
Starring: Tatiana Maslany, Dane Dehaan
Plot: Tatiana Maslany is spending her off-time from Orphan Back shooting this indie drama about two burning souls that come together to make a leap of faith towards life and inner peace in a small town near the North Pole where all roads lead to nowhere.
The Strain Season 2
Shooting: Now until April 30
Starring: Corey Stoll
Plot: Based on the novel trilogy by Chuck Hogan and Guillermo Del Toro, the series chronicles a CDC team investigating and fighting a strange disease that may remind you of a zombie outbreak, but is actually an ancient form of vampireism.
Did I miss any? Let us know in the comments.
Writing by Aaron Broverman.
Still from My Big Fat Greek Wedding
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