Vancouver Screen Scene: Aubrey Plaza, Judy Greer, A Midsummer’s Nightmare, and more

Seeing as how it’s Halloween, it’s rather appropriate that the upcoming lineup of shows shooting in Vancouver are along the lines of horror and fantasy, with some whacked-out stuff, quirky tales, and comedies thrown in for good measure.

From nightmares to a Chinese romcom, let’s take a look at what’s going on around town in Hollywood North.

First up, there’s the seasonally appropriate Nightmare Time, which is scheduled to start shooting its TV pilot on November 15, finishing up on November 22.

Aubrey Plaza of Parks and Rec fame is the creative (or twisted, depending on your perspective) mind behind this intriguingly out-there comedy-horror anthology.

The show, which clearly thinks outside the box, will be set in her Nightmare Clinic, where celebrity guests check in to address their nightmares.

Each episode will focus on two nightmares, which—thanks to magical advances in technological development—viewers will be able to follow in full detail. Interesting.

Hmm, sounds freaky enough to warrant a watch.

While we’re on the topics of nightmares, the production for the TV pilot of A Midsummer’s Nightmare kicks into gear tomorrow (November 1), and will continue shooting until November 18.

As you can tell from the the title, yes, this is a contemporary adaptation of the Bard’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

In this version, a wealthy attorney discovers his fiancé has run off with his working-class best friend to the Dreamland Retreat. However, suspicions arise as strange things start to happen to people at the retreat.

Daisy Head (Guilt), Casey Deidrick (Eye Candy), and Ellie Gall (Puberty Blues) will play leads.

Dominic Monaghan (Lord of the Rings), Jake Robinson (American Odyssey), Eric Balfour (Haven), Chelsea Gilligan (Starcrossed), and Paul Walter Hauser (Kingdom) have also been cast as series regulars.

Elsewhere in the city, director Chuck Russell (The Mask, The Scorpion King) will soon be in town directing the fantasy thriller feature film Beautiful Voice.

The production starts shooting on November 2 and continues until December 1.

The film follows two parallel stories—one in ancient times and the other in modern day—about a boy seeking revenge after his mother’s death. However, he learns from that violence is not the answer but wisdom is.

Of course, it’s not just Hollywood productions that are being shot in the city.

Among the homegrown projects going on, Canadian filmmaker Kyle Rideout, who directed the Vancouver-shot 2015 psychological drama Eadweard about photographer Eadweard Muybridge, will be directing the comedy feature Public Schooled.

It’s a Canadian feature film about a socially awkward teenager named Liam who abandons his home-schooling to enrol in public school.

Why? Because he wants to chase after the girl of his dreams—who just so happens to be a popular girl with one leg. (Which is basically the dream of every other teenage boy.)

The cast includes Judy Greer (Arrested Development, Californication) who plays Liam’s overprotective mother.

But when Liam escapes his mother’s grasp, he finds himself immersed in a new world of sex and drugs (and presumably some rock ‘n’ roll in the background).

Speaking of comedies, director Eric Zhang is shooting the Chinese romcom Sea to Sky until November 4.

For those who might be unfamiliar with Vancouver, the name Sea to Sky is used for a few prominent local features.

The Sea to Sky Highway connects Vancouver to the skiing resort town of Whistler. There’s also the Sea to Sky Gondola, located in Squamish (near Whistler).

As for the film, the story follows a middle-class couple who visit Canada for a wedding but wind up in a series of misunderstandings and comedic culture clashes.

The cast includes Carrie Wang (Wang Yi-tong), Hubert Tran (Chen Yan), and Nadia Hatta (Zhang Yu Xi).

Well on that note, that’s all for this round of screen production news as we head into November.

Until the next edition, good luck spotting stars and remember, it’s Halloween so there are bound to be doppelgängers galore on the streets out there.