The Rob Ford era spawned books, music and plenty of late-night TV gags. Now, a feature film called Run This Town is in the works, and Billions star Damian Lewis will be playing the late mayor. But is there more to this movie than a single big-name actor? Here’s what we know.
Jonathan Bronfman is the man behind JoBro Productions, one of companies producing Run This Town, and he confirmed by phone that his brother Andrew is also on board as supervising producer. The brothers are the sons of Paul Bronfman, a big-time player in Canadian film and the chairman of Pinewood Toronto Studios. Jonathan says he was drawn to the project after working on Enfant Terrible, a short film by Run This Town’s writer-director, Ricky Tollman.
JoBro’s previous efforts include a horror film called Pyewacket, involving Chloe Rose (best known for her role on Degrassi) and Two Lovers and a Bear, with Orphan Black’s Tatiana Maslany.
Ford-era superstar Robyn Doolittle greeted news of the film’s casting choices with a tweet wondering why the reporter character wasn’t a woman:
Then Run This Town star Ben Platt explained that his character is actually a “low-level reporter” at a fictitious newspaper who fails to get in on the Ford scandal:
“Rob is not one of the main characters or the protagonist,” Jonathan Bronfman tells Toronto Life. The film, he says, follows a struggling journalist looking for his big break, as well as a group of young mayoral staffers. The Globe reported that Ricky Tollman drew inspiration for the reporter character from his brother, a journalist who worked at 680 News and CityTV—neither known for their Ford exposés—before leaving the profession. So expect plenty about struggling millennials—not just the select few who ascend to the tops of their fields.
A Telefilm Canada spokesperson said in an email that the film will be getting $1.2 million for production and $15,000 for development—and there’s a possibility the project could secure more funding in the future. Telefilm is a crown corporation, meaning these are public funds, but Telefilm aims to recoup its investments in movies after they’re released. So Run This Town could pay taxpayers back if it sells well enough.
Canadian film and television productions are almost guaranteed to have some connection with Degrassi, which has become a kind of farm team for the domestic entertainment industry. Nina Dobrev, who was a Degrassi regular, has a major role in Run This Town. Fellow alums Justin Kelly and Lauren Collins are also credited on the film’s IMDB page. Kelly tweeted his excitement about the project last month:
And so did Collins:
Lewis tweeted out a glimpse of what it takes to become Rob Ford: a full-face prosthetic and an unsettling pair of scissors.
And here he is in costume, which includes the Rob Ford standards: blue shirt, grey suit and a folder that’s probably stuffed with constituents’ phone numbers.
Details about the film and its plot are scarce, but there are some hints online, scattered about like fridge magnets in a parking lot.
This is Nina Dobrev, standing inside what appears to be city hall:
…which was apparently decorated with the requisite football paraphernalia for the occasion:
And this must be a blurry Damian Lewis:
Here, Dobrev does some reconnaissance with co-star Ben Platt:
The third shot here, from Ricky Tollman’s Instagram, was taken in Toronto’s city council chambers, where much of the real-life Ford drama unfolded:
Jonathan Bronfman confirmed to Toronto Life that Run This Town finished filming last week. Here’s Dobrev, apparently moments after wrapping:
Bronfman says it’s too early to tell when and where the film might premiere, but don’t bet on a TIFF appearance—the 2018 festival is probably too soon, and the 2019 edition is probably too far off, he says.
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