In production: Here’s what’s filming in Vancouver and B.C. this spring

Article content

The 2023 Hollywood actors’ and writers’ strikes dealt a serious blow to the film and TV production scene in Metro Vancouver and B.C. But after both were settled last fall, the industry machine is finally started to crank up again this spring.

Here’s a look at some of the productions on set and coming soon to locations around the city and province:

Article content

The Smashing Machine

Article content

The story of professional mixed martial arts fighter Mark Kerr has been shepherded into production by Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson, and he’ll also star in the movie directed by Benny Safdie — known for writing and directing the critically acclaimed Adam Sandler film Uncut Gems with his brother Josh. (You may also recognize Safdie for his acting. He starred as Edward Teller in the multi-Oscar-winning Oppenheimer.)

Johnson picked up the rights to the story of Kerr’s tumultuous MMA and UFC career and personal life, which was also the subject of a well-received 2002 documentary of the same title. The feature film is due for release in 2025.

Final Destination 6: Bloodlines

The Vancouver-shot horror series that has famously featured a mishap on a Playland roller coaster and the catastrophic collapse of the Lions Gate Bridge in earlier instalments is back for another round, more than a decade after its last bloodbath targeting victims of fate.

Canadian director Zach Lipovsky and frequent collaborator Adam Stein are at the helm. Shooting began in early March and is set to wrap in mid-May. It’s due for release next year, the 25th anniversary of the franchise.

Article content

Article content

The Last of Us Season 2

The big news coming out of the strikes for the B.C. production scene was landing this hit HBO zombie apocalypse series after the first season was shot in Alberta. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey are set to return, while the storyline is rumoured to loosely follow the second part of the video game series of the same name.

It’s a lengthy shoot, starting in mid-February and expected to run well into August. The release date hasn’t been announced but is likely to be in 2025.

Earth Abides

An adaptation of the 1949 post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel by George R. Stewart, this miniseries in development features the timely concept of a deadly disease that nearly wipes out humanity and forces a return to a simpler society.

The limited series is being made for MGM+, which is available in Canada through Amazon Prime. Filming is scheduled for April and May.

Tracker Season 1

This CBS action series about a lone-wolf survivalist starring Justin Hartley (This Is Us) began filming here in late November, and its debut episode aired immediately after the Super Bowl. That led to big numbers for the first episode but the show has also retained a respectable network audience since then.

Article content

Hartley’s B.C. connections run pretty deep, as he played Oliver Queen in six seasons of the Superman series Smallville, which was shot around Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island. Production for Tracker’s first season continues from the show’s home base in Langley until late April.

Happy Face Season 1

Dennis Quaid plays the lead in this new series about real-life serial killer Keith Jesperson, who was known as the Happy Face Killer because of the smiley faces he left as evidence at crime scenes. It follows the travails of his daughter Melissa Moore as she comes to realize her father’s deadly secrets and is loosely based on a podcast about her life.

The show is being produced for Paramount+ and will be filmed in Vancouver over three months starting on March 19. The location is appropriate as Jesperson was born in B.C. before going on a killing spree while working as a long-haul trucker travelling all over the U.S. A release date hasn’t been set.

Murder in a Small Town Season 1

This series starring Vancouver actors Rossif Sutherland — yes, acting legend Donald Sutherland is his dad — and Kristin Kreuk has been picked up by Fox in the U.S. for its fall lineup. The story is based on the Karl Alberg series of novels by late Canadian mystery writer L.R. Wright, who set her stories on the Sunshine Coast.

Article content

Shooting started at the end of January and wraps in early April.

The Recruit Season 2

This Netflix series began shooting its second season in Vancouver and Seoul in January. The show about a new CIA agent caught up in the international spy game stars Noah Centineo, who brought the first script to the streamer and helped develop it with show runner Alexi Hawley.

Shooting ends this week and the show is set to return to Netflix in December.

Virgin River Season 6

Another Netflix series, Virgin River is a wholesome romantic drama about a nurse practitioner who moves from L.A. to the titular northern California town for a fresh start. Alexandra Breckenridge and Martin Henderson star.

Shooting began in late February and runs through the end of May. A release date hasn’t been announced.

Invasion Season 3

The Apple TV+ sci-fi series about alien invaders threatening human existence has quietly begun shooting for a third season under the production code name Kanji. The show, which debuted in 2021, is on set until about Labour Day.

Suits L.A.

The series that helped launch B-list actor Meghan Markle into her life as a B-list royal is getting a Los Angeles version. As with the original, which was filmed in Toronto but was set in New York, the latest version will have Vancouver stand in for the L.A. setting.

Suits L.A. isn’t a reboot but a new storyline with a new cast (in a new city, of course). But everyone will be wondering what to expect in terms of cameos from Markle or others from the original — especially after several were featured in Super Bowl ads together last month.

Article content

The pilot for NBC is being shot over three weeks starting on March 25.

Fire Country Season 2

The second season of this CBS drama about a convict on a release program working with professional firefighters in northern California began filming in December and episodes are already airing (on Global in Canada). Production is about to finish in early April but lead actor Max Thieriot just revealed Season 3 has been given the green light by the network.

Family Law Season 4

Global has announced a fourth season of the legal drama starring Victor Garber and Jewel Staite. Shooting of the latest 10-episode arc has already begun and is set to wrap up in mid-June. The network has yet to announce when Season 3 will debut in Canada, though the first two seasons are now available on StackTV and Global’s app and on CW in the States.

The Irrational Season 2

Jesse L. Martin returns as a behavioural psychology expert helping solve criminal cases in this NBC procedural series. Shooting began this month and runs through Halloween.

Superman & Lois Season 4

Speaking of Superman, the fourth and final season of this CW sci-fi series began filming in B.C. in January, with a wrap date expected in late April. Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch play the leads.

Article content

The Good Doctor Season 7

This Emmy Award-winning tear-jerker drama series starring Freddie Highmore in the role of a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome has firmly established itself in the rotation at ABC. Shooting began in December and is expected to be on set until early April.

So Help Me Todd Season 2

The sitcom series about a mother-son legal team played by Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin has returned for a second season. Episodes are already airing on CBS and Global, while shooting is due to wrap soon after it was one of the first local productions to boot up about a month after the strikes were settled in late fall.

jruttle@postmedia.com

Related

Article content