Filming in Vancouver: Van Helsing, Better Things, Christina Ricci, and more

While Vancouver may be known Hollywood North, numerous productions also shoot throughout the province as well, bringing stars through our city.

While some shoot solely in locations outside of Vancouver, others shoot in both Vancouver and other B.C. locations

A recent example was the romance-drama The Mountain Between Us, starring Kate Winslet and Idris Elba. In addition to shooting in Vancouver, the film also shot in Invermere and other areas of the Lower Mainland, such as Abbotsford and Port Moody.

The survival drama Light of My Life, starring Casey Affleck, is another example, which shot in Vancouver as well as on Vancouver Island.

Also on Vancouver Island, the drama TV series Chesapeake Shores films primarily in Parksville, B.C. It started shooting Season 2 on April 17 and will continue until July 18.

Based on the novels, the series chronicles a divorced career woman’s return to her hometown to help save her sister’s failing inn where she faces her past relationships, including her first love.

The cast includes Jesse Metcalfe, Meghan Ory, Barbara Niven, Laci J. Mailey, Emilie Ullerup, Diane Ladd, and Treat Williams.

The previous season shot on locations in Vancouver Island, including Nanaimo, as well as in Steveston in Metro Vancouver.

A new example is the Canadian thriller Distortion, which started shooting yesterday (May 28) in British Columbia including in Okanagan cities such as Vernon and Kelowna, and will continue until June 26

The film is directed by Rob W. King, who previously shot the forthcoming film release The Humanity Bureau, starring Nicholas Cage, in Osoyoos, B.C.

Christina Ricci (Monster) stars as Lauren, an artist with bipolar disorder recovering from the loss of her child. Due to disturbing memories and fears, she and her husband, played by Vancouver’s own Brendan Fletcher (The Revenant), move into a high-tech building that offers state-of-the-art integrated security systems in smart apartments.

But when Lauren becomes suspicious that the building owner is secretly brainwashing the residents, she seeks the help of an investigative journalist, portrayed by John Cusack (Maps to the Stars), whose specialty is cyber conspiracy.

With any luck, you may spot one of the stars passing through, or maybe even filming, town.

Here is your first look at The Predator on set of the upcoming 2018 film. #Predator pic.twitter.com/QpILW0lKoi



— CinePhellas (@Cinephellas) May 15, 2017

Meanwhile, although The Predator(which has experienced several delays) was previously scheduled to wrap up on May 15, production has been extended until June 2.

The cast includes Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Olivia Munn, Vancouver’s Jacob Tremblay, and more.

Just before that ends, production on Season 2 of Van Helsing wraps up on Wednesday (May 31).

The American-Canadian fantasy-horror TV series, which started filming on February 8, follows the adventures of Vanessa Van Helsing (played by Kelly Overton), the descendant of legendary vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing.

In a near future, she awakens from a coma to find the world has become taken over by vampires. As her blood can convert vampires back to humans, she becomes humanity’s last hope.

The cast includes Jonathan Scarfe, Christopher Heyerdahl, David Cubitt, Vincent Gale, Rukiya Bernard, and more.

Meanwhile, we’ll be getting a brief visit from an American TV series this week.

One episode from Season 2 of Better Things will shoot in Vancouver from Thursday (June 1) to June 7.

The comedy-drama TV series, directed by comedian Louis C.K., follows a divorced actress as she raises three daughters on her own.

The cast includes Pamela Adlon, Mikey Madison, Hannah Alligood, Olivia Edward, and Celia Imrie.

And on that note, that’s all for this week but, as always, there’ll be more productions starting up or shutting down to discuss next week so check back in with us for what’s going on in Hollywood North.