Emma Roberts, Elisabeth Moss, Ken Jeong and 29 other stars filming in Toronto this winter
What does The Shape of Water‘s 1960s Baltimore, the tiny American town from It and the futuristic dystopia from The Handmaid’s Tale have in common? They were all shot in and around Toronto. Here’s what’s been shooting in the city lately:
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The Handmaid’s Tale
Starring: Elisabeth Moss, Bradley Whitford, Yvonne Strahovski, Ann Dowd, Joseph Fiennes, Alexis Bledel
Producer: Bruce Miller
Release Date: Spring 2019
The Handmaid’s Tale’s second season had a controversial ending: after getting a taste of freedom, June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) passes up her chance to escape the twisted dictatorship of Gilead. Her motive isn’t entirely clear, but some viewers speculate that she plans dismantle the system from within and save the other handmaids. Toronto’s City Hall, Bay Station, and the Harbourfront Centre have all doubled as dystopian hellscapes on the show thus far, and the production crew has been spotted filming at U of T and in Hamilton for season three.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Starring: Zoe Margaret Colletti, Michael Garza, Austin Zajur, Gabriel Rush
Director: André Øvredal
Release Date: Fall 2019
Toronto’s adopted son Guillermo Del Toro (The Shape of Water) is producing this adaptation of Alvin Schwartz’s spooky kids book series of the same name. The plot follows a group of teens who try to solve a series of mysterious deaths in their small town—basically a mishmash of Riverdale and American Horror Story. The bulk of the film was shot in Toronto studios, with some of the key scenes taking place at Fairbanks House (also known as the Sunnyside Mansion), a beloved Victorian manor in the small town of Petrolia, three hours west of the city.
The Hot Zone
Starring: Julianna Margulies, Liam Cunningham, James D’Arcy, Noah Emmerich, Topher Grace
Executive Producers: Ridley Scott, Lynda Obst
Release Date: 2019
Julianna Margulies is dusting off her ER scrubs to star as Dr. Nancy Jaax in National Geographic’s new medical drama. Based on the Richard Preston’s best-selling 1995 book, the miniseries follows the an army scientist who risks her life to stop an outbreak of Ebola virus in the United States. The series began shooting in Toronto this past September and is set to wrap this month. This isn’t the first time Margulies has been in the city for filming: two years ago, she was here to shoot an episode of The Good Wife set in Canada.
What We Do in the Shadows
Starring: Matt Barry, Kayvan Novak, Natasia Demetriou
Executive Producers: Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, Scott Rudin
Release Date: Spring 2019
Before he directed Thor: Ragnarok, New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi teamed up with Flight of the Conchords star Jemaine Clement on the quirky, vampire-themed mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows. The TV version follows the same hilarious premise, about vampire roommates who have lived together for centuries. The show is stacked with British comedy vets, and is shooting in Toronto until December 13.
My Spy
Starring: Dave Bautista, Kristen Schaal, Ken Jeong
Director: Peter Segal
Release Date: 2019
Dave Bautista has played the tough guy on screen for years—and as a former professional wrestler, he certainly looks the part. But for My Spy, he’s shifting gears and joining the ranks of other cinematic badasses who made the jump over to comedy (including Dwayne Johnson, Vin Diesel and Arnold Schwarzenegger). In this film from Get Smart director Peter Segal, Bautista plays a CIA agent stuck babysitting a nine-year-old girl. Shooting ends in late November.
Guest of Honour
Starring: David Thewlis, Luke Wilson, Rossif Sutherland
Director: Atom Egoyan
Release Date: 2019
Atom Egoyan specializes in murky psychosexual dramas, and his latest film is no exception. The plot explores the complex relationship between a father and his 20-year-old daughter, who is incarcerated for a sexual assault she did not commit—and wants to stay where she is. This is Egoyan’s first solo screenplay since 2008’s Adoration, and filming is taking place this month in Toronto and southern Ontario.
Departure
Starring: Archie Panjabi, Christopher Plummer, Kris Holden-Ried, Claire Forlani, Rebecca Liddiard, Dougray Scott
Director: T.J. Scott
Showrunner: Malcolm MacRury
Release Date: 2019
In Global’s new drama series, The Good Wife’s Archie Panjabi stars as a brilliant but troubled aviation investigator trying to figure out what happened to passenger plane that disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean; Oscar winner and hometown boy Christopher Plummer plays Panjabi’s mentor. The show, directed by Orphan Black’s T.J. Scott, is scheduled for a run of six episodes.
Spinning Out
Starring: Emma Roberts
Showrunners: Samantha Stratton, Lara Olsen
Release Date: 2019
Toronto’s gruelling winter makes an ideal backdrop for this upcoming Netflix ice-skating drama. Emma Roberts will star as a promising skater whose career is ruined after a devastating fall. In an attempt to make a comeback, she pairs up with a talented male athlete who exposes a secret that could ruin her life. The 10-episode series is scheduled to start shooting in Toronto in January.
 on Oct 22, 2018 at 6:23am PDT
The Handmaid’s Tale
Starring: Elisabeth Moss, Bradley Whitford, Yvonne Strahovski, Ann Dowd, Joseph Fiennes, Alexis Bledel
Producer: Bruce Miller
Release Date: Spring 2019
The Handmaid’s Tale's second season had a controversial ending: after getting a taste of freedom, June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) passes up her chance to escape the twisted dictatorship of Gilead. Her motive isn't entirely clear, but some viewers speculate that she plans dismantle the system from within and save the other handmaids. Toronto's City Hall, Bay Station, and the Harbourfront Centre have all doubled as dystopian hellscapes on the show thus far, and the production crew has been spotted filming at U of T and in Hamilton for season three.
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Sitting alone on a bus brings me back to middle school for sure. But I just saw some dope sea creatures at an aquarium so IDGAFOS???
A post shared by Austin Zajur (@austinzajur) on Oct 29, 2018 at 9:09am PDT
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Starring: Zoe Margaret Colletti, Michael Garza, Austin Zajur, Gabriel Rush
Director: André Øvredal
Release Date: Fall 2019
Toronto’s adopted son Guillermo Del Toro (The Shape of Water) is producing this adaptation of Alvin Schwartz’s spooky kids book series of the same name. The plot follows a group of teens who try to solve a series of mysterious deaths in their small town—basically a mishmash of Riverdale and American Horror Story. The bulk of the film was shot in Toronto studios, with some of the key scenes taking place at Fairbanks House (also known as the Sunnyside Mansion), a beloved Victorian manor in the small town of Petrolia, three hours west of the city.
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Snow arrives in #Toronto
A post shared by Liam Cunningham (@liamcunningham1) on Nov 15, 2018 at 4:53pm PST
The Hot Zone
Starring: Julianna Margulies, Liam Cunningham, James D’Arcy, Noah Emmerich, Topher Grace
Executive Producers: Ridley Scott, Lynda Obst
Release Date: 2019
Julianna Margulies is dusting off her ER scrubs to star as Dr. Nancy Jaax in National Geographic's new medical drama. Based on the Richard Preston's best-selling 1995 book, the miniseries follows the an army scientist who risks her life to stop an outbreak of Ebola virus in the United States. The series began shooting in Toronto this past September and is set to wrap this month. This isn't the first time Margulies has been in the city for filming: two years ago, she was here to shoot an episode of The Good Wife set in Canada.
What We Do in the Shadows
Starring: Matt Barry, Kayvan Novak, Natasia Demetriou
Executive Producers: Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, Scott Rudin
Release Date: Spring 2019
Before he directed Thor: Ragnarok, New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi teamed up with Flight of the Conchords star Jemaine Clement on the quirky, vampire-themed mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows. The TV version follows the same hilarious premise, about vampire roommates who have lived together for centuries. The show is stacked with British comedy vets, and is shooting in Toronto until December 13.
View this post on Instagram
I may be a few bucks short when I wrap on #MySpy but @parisafitzhenley (aka Ms Potty Mouth) is in real financial trouble. @chloecolemanact is going to need a much bigger #swearjar
A post shared by David Bautista (@davebautista) on Nov 11, 2018 at 4:20pm PST
My Spy
Starring: Dave Bautista, Kristen Schaal, Ken Jeong
Director: Peter Segal
Release Date: 2019
Dave Bautista has played the tough guy on screen for years—and as a former professional wrestler, he certainly looks the part. But for My Spy, he's shifting gears and joining the ranks of other cinematic badasses who made the jump over to comedy (including Dwayne Johnson, Vin Diesel and Arnold Schwarzenegger). In this film from Get Smart director Peter Segal, Bautista plays a CIA agent stuck babysitting a nine-year-old girl. Shooting ends in late November.
Guest of Honour
Starring: David Thewlis, Luke Wilson, Rossif Sutherland
Director: Atom Egoyan
Release Date: 2019
Atom Egoyan specializes in murky psychosexual dramas, and his latest film is no exception. The plot explores the complex relationship between a father and his 20-year-old daughter, who is incarcerated for a sexual assault she did not commit—and wants to stay where she is. This is Egoyan's first solo screenplay since 2008’s Adoration, and filming is taking place this month in Toronto and southern Ontario.
View this post on Instagram
Detectives on the job. @archiepanjabi
A post shared by Kris Holden-Ried (@krisholdenried) on Nov 21, 2018 at 1:31pm PST
Departure
Starring: Archie Panjabi, Christopher Plummer, Kris Holden-Ried, Claire Forlani, Rebecca Liddiard, Dougray Scott
Director: T.J. Scott
Showrunner: Malcolm MacRury
Release Date: 2019
In Global's new drama series, The Good Wife’s Archie Panjabi stars as a brilliant but troubled aviation investigator trying to figure out what happened to passenger plane that disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean; Oscar winner and hometown boy Christopher Plummer plays Panjabi's mentor. The show, directed by Orphan Black's T.J. Scott, is scheduled for a run of six episodes.
[caption id="attachment_474283" align="alignnone" width="2000"] Photo courtesy of Instagram[/caption]
Spinning Out
Starring: Emma Roberts
Showrunners: Samantha Stratton, Lara Olsen
Release Date: 2019
Toronto’s gruelling winter makes an ideal backdrop for this upcoming Netflix ice-skating drama. Emma Roberts will star as a promising skater whose career is ruined after a devastating fall. In an attempt to make a comeback, she pairs up with a talented male athlete who exposes a secret that could ruin her life. The 10-episode series is scheduled to start shooting in Toronto in January.){kind=link}