21 Movies Filming in Vancouver This August

Amar Mirchandani | @amarmirch | August 1, 2017
Culture
21 Movies Filming in Vancouver This August
Photo: Gage Skidmore / Flickr

Finally… The Rock has come back to Vancouver! Plus other Hollywood stars like Johnny Depp, Mel Gibson, Vince Vaughn, Neve Campbell, Steve Carell, Leslie Mann, Janel Parrish, Janelle Monae and Vancity’s own Ryan Reynolds are will be in town shooting movies too!

In total, there are at least 21 movies scheduled for production in Hollywood North for August 2017. The BC film industry can look forward to shooting 13 features films and 8 television movies-of-the-week (MOW’s) this month. There’s something for everyone including a sequel for the “Merc with a Mouth”, an eggplant emoji movie and an action Rock-buster:

Feature Films

Deadpool 2

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Zazie Beetz
Director: David Leitch
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Adult Comic
AKA: Caribbean Blue, Love Machine
Sign Code: DAISY
Schedule: June 26 – October 6, 2017
Release: 2018

Dragged Across Concrete

Starring: Mel Gibson, Vince Vaughn
Director: Craig Zahler
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
AKA: X-Mas bear
Schedule: July 17 – September 16, 2017
Release: 2018

Fatal Visit

Director: Yuen Leung Calvin Poon
Sign Code: LHF
Schedule: July 18 – August 11, 2017

Hong Kong actor and director Yuen Leung Calvin Poon is shooting Fatal Visit around town this summer. *Cast and synopsis are still unknown.

Freaks

Directors/Writers: Zach Lipovsky, Adam B. Stein
Schedule: July 31 – August 25, 2017
Release: 2018

Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein both wrote and are directing Freaks.

Gut Instinct *not confirmed

Starring: Josh Hartnett
Director/Writer: Daniel Roby
Genre: Police, Drama, Thriller
Schedule: August 2017

This indie feature film has been in the works for a few years. Josh Hartnett was announced as the star back in 2015 (Variety) and filming was announced for Montreal, Vancouver and Thailand. Gut Instinct is a “real-life” police thriller. Hartnett is known for Pearl Harbour and Penny Dreadful. Writer and director Daniel Roby hails from Montreal.

Richard Says Goodbye

Starring: Johnny Depp, Zoey Deutch
Director: Wayne Roberts
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Schedule: July 25 – August 25, 2017

Johnny Depp is no stranger to Vancouver. He’s shot parts of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise in studio here as well as the 1980’s hit TV show 21 Jump Street. In Richard Says Goodbye he plays a college professor who gets a “life-changing diagnosis” and changes his philosophy of life.

Skyscraper

BREAKING: Grateful to share this big news. Universal Studios and @Legendary Pictures have declared JULY 13th 2018 SKYSCRAPER weekend. Massive scale of a movie we've been developing for almost two years and we start shooting this August – in CHINA. Our script, written and to be directed by Rawson Thurber, focuses on the world's largest skyscraper – that's on fire. A towering inferno almost a mile into the sky and my wife and kids are trapped on the top floor. My character is a disabled US War Vet and former FBI Hostage Rescue Team leader. This character is inspired by the thousands of disabled US veterans and war heroes I've had the honor of shaking hands with over the years. This character is also an homage to the every day man and woman who, despite all odds, will dig deep and do everything possible to protect and save their family. Research for this film has been a real education for me (and that's saying a lot considering my horrible freshman year GPA) from meeting with the world's top skyscraper architects to spending amazing time with our US combat and disabled vets. Good thing I'm not afraid of heights. But at 4,000ft it's a different story. Let's get to work. #CHINA #SevenBucksProds #FlynnPicturesCo #Zhao #SKYSCRAPER JULY 13th 2018

A post shared by therock (@therock) on

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Neve Campbell
Director: Rawson Marshall Thurter
Genre: Action
Schedule: August 14 – November 17, 2017
Release: July 13, 2018

The most electrifying man in entertainment and the Scream queen team up for this China-set action blockbuster. Dwayne Johnson and Neve Campbell star in ‘Skyscraper‘ where The Rock must save his family from a burning building.

Smart House

Director: Alexandre Aja
Genre: Thriller
Schedule: August 2017

From James Wan, co-creator of Saw, comes Smart House which is about a family in witness protection living in a literal “smart house”. The house goes into defense when a group of assassins comes for the family. Director Alexandre Aja is known for Piranha 3D and The Hills Have Eyes.

Summer of ’84

Production day 4. #BTS w/ @grahamverchere @calebemery and @tskovbye1 📽💥 #so84 #summerof84

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Starring: Rich Sommer, Tiera Skovbye
Director: Francois Simard, Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell
Genre: Horror
Sign Code: BLP
Schedule: July 10 – August 10, 2017

Local actress Tiera Skovbye who plays Polly Cooper in the uber popular Vancouver-filmed CW show Riverdale stars with Mad Men‘s Rich Sommer in this horror flick. It’s about a group of teenagers who think their neighour is a serial killer – he just happens to be a cop. Also starring JasoN Gray-Standford (Republic of Doyle), Graham Verchere (Fargo) and J. Alex Brinson (Travelers).

The Buddy Games

Starring: Josh Duhamel, Stephen Farrelly
Director: Josh Duhamel
Schedule: August 10 – 29, 2017

Everybody’s friend Josh Duhamel makes his directorial debut in The Buddy Games by WWE Studios. He also stars in the movie alongside WWE Superstar Sheamus (Stepehn Farelly) and Nick Swardson. It’s about a group of friends who reunite in their 30’s to play the “Buddy Game” – or die trying. WWE Studios has a longstanding relationship with Vancouver as it has filmed three of its Marine franchise films here.

The Eggplant Emoji

Director: Jake Szymanski
Genre: Comedy, R-Rated
Schedule: August 21 – October 2, 2017
Release: 2018 – expected

There’s a lot of comedy backing this Netflix movie including writers Kevin Burrows and Matt Mider; producers Ben Stiller, Nicky Weinstock, plus Workaholics creators Blake Anderson, Adam Devine, Anders Holm and Kyle Newacheck – who wrapped up filming their own comedy in Vancouver earlier this year. Oh and this movie’s plot is literally about a severed penis.

The Women of Marwen

Photo/wikipedia, IMDb

Starring: Steve Carell, Leslie Mann, Janelle Monae, Diane Kruger, Gwendoline Christie
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Genre: Drama
AKA: Marwencol
Schedule: August 14 – October 19, 2017

Director and Producer Robert Zemeckis continues his momentum after recent films like Flight, The Walk and Allied with his Untitled project aka The Women of Marwen. It’s based loosely on the Marwencol documentary from 2010 but is not a direct adaptation or remake as the plot will be entirely different. The film is about a victim of an assault who finds his own method of recovery.

13 Miles

Starring: Jovanna Burke, Sadie Silcock, Naomi Levi, jeff Gonek
Directors/Writers: Anthony Epp, Helena Thom
Genre: Sports, Drama
Schedule: May 19 – August 20, 2017

Married filmmakers Anthony Epp and Helena Thom wrote and are directing 13 Miles together. The indie Canadian sports drama film is about human identity and revolves around a triathlon champion and the woman by his side.

TV Movies

Falling for Vermont

Starring: Benjamin Ayres, Larissa Albuquerque
Director: David Winning
Genre: Romance
Sign Code: FILMS INC
Network: Hallmark
Schedule: July 24 – August 12, 2017
Release: September 23, 2017

Filming takes place in and around Agassiz, BC. The TV movie is expected to premiere on September 23rd.

Four Christmases and a Wedding

Director: Marita Grabiak
Sign Code: ACE
Schedule: July 24 – August 14, 2017

Inside Voice

Starring: Jace Norman, JoJo Siwa, Daniella Perkins, Jordyn Taylor
Director: Michelle Johnston
Genre: Family
Sign Code: PBEC
Network: Nickelodeon
Schedule: July 13 – August 2, 2017
Release: 2018

Nickelodeon is producing this TV movie with an estimated $3 million budget. The VR-inspired movie stars JoJo from Dance Moms, Jace Norman from Henry Danger and Daniella Perkins from Knight Squad. Production has been spotted in Surrey.

Miss Christmas

Director: Michael Rohl
Genre: Holiday
Network: Hallmark
Schedule: July 24 – August 11, 2017

One of Hallmarks many holiday movies is about Holly in search of the perfect Christmas tree.

Peared With a Kiss

Working with this chick again :) #Vancouver

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Starring: Lini Evans, Aaron Craven, Barry Levy
Director: Christie Will Wolf
Sign Code: FSP2
AKA: Loving Luna
Schedule: July 24 – August 12, 2017

The Christmas Train

Genre: Holiday
Network: Hallmark
Schedule: August 2017

Based on the New York Times bestseller by David Baldacci. It’s about a journalist who rides a train cross-country at Christmas time and unexpectedly finds the holiday magic he thought he’d lost.

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before

Starring: Lana Condor, Janel Parrish
Director: Susan Johnson
Sign Code: TATB
Schedule: July 6 – August 4, 2017

Pretty Little Liars star and Dancing with the Stars season 19 finalist Janel Parrish co-stars with X-Men: Apocalypse star Lana Condor – who played Jubilee. Also starring local 13-year old actress Anna Cathcart who played Dizzy Tremaine in Descendants 2. The TV movie is based on the book by the same name about a girl who writes cathartic letters  to her past crushes for herself… which all get sent out.

Welcome Home Warrior

Network: Hallmark
Genre: Holiday
Schedule: August 8 – 26, 2017

Christmas magic heals all in this holiday romance drama which brings together a military widow and recovering Army Captain.

Limbo?

A couple movies might be working through some delays. Stingray starring Jon Bernthal and Joel Edgerton underwent some location scouting this spring and was expected to begin shooting this summer. Production went on hiatus and was expected to pickup in July but there’s still no word on the crime drama. Similarly, crime thriller Semper Fi starring Sam Claflin and Nat Wolff has fallen off the radar according to @WhatsFilming and may be relocating or just delayed.

July

Last month some big productions wrapped up:

  • Motivated Seller starring Michael Ealy, Dennis Quaid, Meagan Good
  • Overboard starring Anna Faris, Eva Longoria, Eugenio Derbez
  • Project Gutenberg starring Chow Yun-Fat, Aaron Kwok
  • A Bramble House Christmas starring Autumn Reeser

September

What can we expect to start filming around town in September? Two more movies with some big Hollywood names are scheduled for production in Vancouver next month: Fever Heart starring Alexander Skarsgard and Cara Delevingne; and Unabomb starring Viggo Mortensen.

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