Vancouver Screen Scene: From sci-fi Lost in Space and Parallel to Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce

Looks like Vancouver is going back to the future, as some noteworthy sci-fi productions are coming our way.

Meanwhile, just as some TV series kick off production, a number of series are wrapping things up.

Here’s an overview of what’s going on around town in film and TV production.

A Netflix remake of the TV series Lost in Space, which ran from 1965 to 1968, will be landing in our city soon. The series will start shooting Season 1 on January 23 and continue until June 26.

The original TV show spawned a feature film adaptation in 1998 starring Gary Oldman, William Hurt, and Matt LeBlanc, as well as a short-lived second TV series in 2003, directed by John Woo.

The new reboot will focus on the Robinson family who are struggling to stay together as they try to survive in the alien environment that they find themselves lost in.

The cast will include Toby Stephens (Die Another Day) and British Columbian star Molly Parker (House of Cards), who got her start on Vancouver productions such as the 1996 Canadian feature film Kissed.

The series is slated for a 2018 premiere.

Meanwhile another sci-fi production, the thriller feature film Parallel directed by Isaac Ezban, will start shooting on November 10 and end by December 5.

The film stars Swedish actor Martin Wallström (Mr. Robot) as the head of a group of four app developers who discover a mirror in the attic of their rental house that is actually a portal to other parallel universes.

Moving from sci-fi into the realm of comedy, Loudermilk starts shooting today (October 24) and continues until December 19

Peter Farrelly’s series stars Ron Livingston (Boardwalk Empire) as a recovering alcoholic and substance-abuse counsellor with a bad attitude.

Speaking of Livingston, he also has a role in the comedy feature Tully, directed by Jason Reitman, which finished shooting in town this week on October 28.

The film, written by Diablo Cody (Juno), stars Charlize Theron as a mother is given a nanny named Tully (Mackenzie Davis) as a gift from her brother.

Although hesitant at first, Theron’s character bonds with the unusual nanny, who is full of surprises.

Also ending on October 28 is Season 1 of the TV drama series The Arrangement, which began on July 25.

The series stars Christine Evangelista as a young actor, Megan Morrison, who auditions for a summer blockbuster and meets one of Hollywood’s hottest A-listers, Kyle West (Josh Henderson).

When the audition leads to a date, Kyle proposes a whopping $10 million for a special marriage contract that will radically alter not just Megan’s career but her entire life. Will she accept the proposal?

The catch is that Kyle’s mentor and controlling best friend (who takes credit for Kyle’s career) runs a mysterious spirituality centre called Institute of the Higher Mind. Ring any bells?

The storyline has observers abuzz with comparisons to controversies about Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, and Scientology.

However, E! Network has issued a statement denying that the story was inspired by anyone in particular.

Hmm, what do you think?

While you ponder that deep question, another TV series finishing up on the same day (October 28) is Imaginary Mary.

Season 1 of the show, which combines live action with CGI animation, began on August 22, starring Jenna Elfman (Dharma & Greg) as a career-driven public-relations executive who faces a major shift in her life when she falls for the divorced father of three children.

This upheaval triggers the reappearance of her imaginary childhood friend Mary (voiced by Rachel Dratch), who tries to give her advice but winds up creating more problems.

The show was originally scheduled to shoot until December 6 but reports state that ABC has cut down its original series order from 13 episodes to 9, thus ending the production earlier than previously planned.

Also ending this week is Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce, which wraps up shooting Season 3 today (October 24).

The series started shooting in town on August 15, and is also shooting Seasons 4 and 5.

The comedy-drama series follows a self-help author named Abby (Lisa Edelstein) who turns to her friends for support as she faces her impending divorce and re-enters the world of dating.

Her personal crew consists of Phoebe (Beau Garett), Delia (Necar Zadegan), and Jo (Alanna Ubach), who each are facing challenges of their own.

And on that note, that’s it for this round of what’s going on in Vancouver’s screen scene.

Be sure to check back in with us next week when we list what more is shooting on the streets of Hollywood North.