Filming in Vancouver: Chris Hemsworth, Dakota Johnson, Once Upon a Time, Charmed, and more

This week, a Hollywood blockbuster leaves town, taking its stars with it. Two TV pilots also finish up this week. And a longrunning fairytale TV series wraps up its latest—and last—season for good.

Ah, all good things must come to an end—in order to live happily ever after.

But never fear, for there’s always more on the way, including a feature film starring…a dog.

Here’s a look at what’s leaving and soon to come to Vancouver’s screen scene.

On Friday (April 6), Bad Times at the El Royale wraps up. The film began shooting on January 29.

Directed by Drew Goddard (who also filmed The Cabin in the Woods here), this drama-thriller, set in the 1960s, depicts what happens when a variety of characters converge upon a shabby hotel in the Lake Tahoe, California.

The star-studded cast includes Chris Hemsworth, Jeff Bridges, Dakota Johnson, Russell Crowe, Jon Hamm, Nick Offerman, Cailee Spaeny, Cynthia Erivo, and more.

During his time here, Hemsworth was spotted in sports-related activities, including attending the World Rugby Sevens Series and a Vancouver Whitecaps soccer game (both at BC Place), and surfing in Tofino over on Vancouver Island.

Great evening at the HSBC @worldrugby Sevens Series on behalf of the Official Timekeeper @TAGHeuer. The TAG Heuer Aquaracer Calibre 5 was gifted to the player with the #DontCrackUnderPressure moment of the final match, congrats Alasio Sovita Naduva!!

A post shared by Chris Hemsworth (@chrishemsworth) on Mar 12, 2018 at 9:01pm PDT

Got the grand tour on surfing Tofino with @cohenscorner, kid rips and grew up surfing in the snow with the grizzly bears, tough as the come! He’s got a new film on iTunes called The Seawolf , by @bengulliver , check it out . Thanks @kylervos for the shots !!

A post shared by Chris Hemsworth (@chrishemsworth) on Mar 20, 2018 at 10:19am PDT

THE GREAT SON OF ODIN CHEERS FOR US ??? ?@chrishemsworth #HereWeCome #VWFC

A post shared by Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@whitecapsfc) on Mar 24, 2018 at 8:35pm PDT

Meanwhile, Johnson, who previously filmed the Fifty Shades of Grey series here, was seen on a date with her boyfriend, Coldplay singer Chris Martin, having smoothies at Heirloom Juice Co.

The film is slated for an October 5 release.

While that film may be leaving, another one is on its way.

The Art of Racing in the Rain will shoot in town from April 30 to July 23.

An adaptation of a bestselling novel by Garth Stein to be directed by Simon Curtis (Goodbye Christopher Robin), the story is told from the point-of-view of Enzo, a dog who reflects upon what he learned from his owners: race-car driver Denny; Eve, Denny’s wife who is struggling with brain cancer; and their daughter Zoë.

Although the full cast hasn’t been revealed yet, Milo Ventimiglia (This is Us) was reported to be in talks to star in the film, and Patrick Dempsey (Grey’s Anatomy) is said to be one of the producers.

But we’re all waiting with bated breath to find out who plays the dog!

On the TV side of things, Once Upon a Time ends production on its seventh—and final—season today (April 2). It began back on July 6.

While the first six seasons were set in the fictitious town of Storybrooke, Maine, the latest season took place in Seattle, Washington (with Vancouver, of course, playing the part).

The grand finale will reportedly bring back some former familiar faces on the show, such as Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison), Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin), Prince Charming (Josh Dallas), and Belle (Emilie de Ravin), who all left after the sixth season.

That’s a wrap! Wow! What a journey. Thank you to everyone in the cast and on the crew for making my last day so special. #emmaswan will live in my heart for ever. And I will be forever changed by #onceuponatime thank you to #StevePearlman for the very very kind words at wrap today. It really meant a lot to me. Cheers to spreading the magic! ?

A post shared by jenmorrisonlive (@jenmorrisonlive) on Mar 27, 2018 at 2:33pm PDT

Also confirmed to appear in the final two episodes are Tony Amendola, Lee Arenberg, JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Robbie Kay, Sean Maguire, Victoria Smurfit, Keegan Tracy, Beverley Elliott, and Jared Gilmore.

Meanwhile in a different realm of fantasy, the TV pilot for Charmed wraps up on Wednesday (April 4), after beginning back on March 20.

It’s been described as a “fierce, funny, feminist reboot” of the 1990s/2000s TV series, which originally starred Alyssa Milano, Holly Marie Combs, Shannen Doherty, and Rose McGowan as sisters who use their witchcraft powers to battle evil forces.

This version will star Madeleine Mantock, Melonie Diaz, and Sarah Jeffery as the sisters, and the cast will also include Charlie Gillespie, Ellen Tamaki, Ser’Darius Blain, and Rupert Evans.

The pilot hasn’t been ordered to series yet so we’ll have to wait and see if it gets greenlit before production on a full first season gets underway.

Another TV pilot finishing up is the sci-fi comedy The End of the World As We Know, which began shooting on March 16. It wraps on Thursday (April 5).

Gage Golightly and Quinta Brunson star as two pizza place workers who are recruited to hunt down deadly alien criminals who escape from a spaceship that crashes in southern California.

That’s another potential series that may shoot in Vancouver if it gets a-okayed to go ahead.

Until then, there’ll be plenty more to discuss so be sure to visit us again in our weekly rundown what’s shooting here in Hollywood North.