Filming in Vancouver: Ashley Judd, The Magicians, and new cyberpunk series Altered Carbon
As we continue on our never-ending trajectory deeper into the holiday season, productions are continuing to close up shop in Vancouver. Speaking to that point, a doggone feature film and a magical TV series will call it a wrap this week.
But there’s also a first look at a new cyberpunk TV series that will be premiering early in the new year.
So with all that in mind, let’s take a look at what’s going on in Vancouver’s screen scene this week.
First up, as the saying goes, every dog has its day and that’s certainly the case for a particular dog who’s the lead star in an upcoming feature film.
A Dog’s Way Home, which started on October 16, finishes up on Friday (December 15).
This family drama is directed by Charles Martin Smith, who has previously helmed animal-themed films such as Dolphin Tale and Air Bud, and starred in Never Cry Wolf, a biopic of famed Canadian environmentalist and biologist Farley Mowatt.
A Dog’s Way Home is an adaptation of the book by W. Bruce Cameron, which follows a dog named Bella who sets off on a 400-mile journey after she is separated from her owner. Along the way, she encounters numerous people and animals, including an orphaned lion cub and a down-and-out veteran who is homeless.
Ashley Judd stars along with a cast that includes Edward James Olmos, Wes Studi, Alexandra Shipp, Jonah Hauer-King, Farrah Aviva, Lane Edwards, Darcy Laurie, and more.
Meanwhile, a magic-based TV series is about to do its final magical trick for the season: a disappearing act—from the streets of Hollywood North. And then quickly reappearing—in your home.
The Magicians ends production on Season 3 on Thursday (December 14), after starting shooting back on July 11.
Based on the novels by Lev Grossman, the series has followed Quentin Coldwater (Jason Ralph) since he enrolled at Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy to learn to become a magician.
Quentin and his 20-something friends were able to defeat the god Ember, but in retaliation, the existence of magic disappeared from this universe. And as a result, the enchanting land of Fillory has come under secret occupation by fairies.
Consequently, Quentin and friends are setting off upon a quest to help bring magic back to the world.
The cast also includes Stella Maeve, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Hale Appleman, Arjun Gupta, Summer Bishil, Rick Worthy, Jade Tailor, Trevor Einhorn, and Brittany Curran.
Some other familiar faces will be back for Season 3. Candis Cayne returns as the Fairy Queen and Rizwan Manji resumes his role as Tick Pickwick.
Fans won’t have long to wait now to watch the show as Season 3 will hit the airwaves shortly after the new year on January 10.
For a taste of what the students are up to, here’s the trailer for the third season—and there are plenty of West Coast landscapes and urbanscapes in the background to take note of.
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Speaking of trailers, Netflix has released a sneak peek at the upcoming series Altered Carbon.
Season 1 of the sci-fi series, based on the 2002 cyberpunk noir novel by Richard K. Morgan, was shot in Vancouver from September 28, 2016, until June 20 of this year.
Set in a dystopian future in which human consciousness can be downloaded and uploaded from one body to another, Joel Kinnaman (House of Cards) stars as Takeshi Kovacs, a specially trained solider.
When a wealthy man (James Purefoy is murdered, he is uploaded to a new body and hires Kovacs (who is brought back to life) to investigate his death, which had been ruled a suicide.
The cast includes Will Yun Lee, Martha Higareda, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Kristin Lehman, Dichen Lachman, Leonardo Nam, and more.
The series will premiere on February 2, 2018.
On that note, we’ll leave with this brief glimpse of the Blade Runner–esque world of Altered Carbon.