Robbie Amell, cousin of Arrow‘s Stephen Amell, will be in Vancouver filming new TV series Upload.
After the flurry of TV series coming back to work from holiday vacations over the past few weeks, this week is a little quieter.
But a new TV series has come to film its latest season, based upon a dark chapter in North American history during the Second World War that involved the internment of Japanese Americans.
On a lighter note, another new TV series—a sci-fi comedy that satirizes digital life (and afterlife)—will be setting up shop in town soon.
But what’s more is that it’ll also be starring a relative of an actor who heads up a locally shot TV series that a number of other series are connected to.
Curious to know more?
Well, join us after the jump for a quick look at what’s happening in Vancouver’s screen scene this week and the near future.
George Takei will star in and be a consultant for The Terror.
The horror-drama anthology series The Terror has arrived Vancouver to shoot 10 episodes for Season 2. Production commences today (January 14) and will continue until May 10. Among its executive producers is filmmaker Ridley Scott, of Alien and Blade Runner fame.
The first season followed a fictionalized version of Captain Sir John Franklin’s lost expedition to the Arctic, with production having taken place in Hungary and Croatia.
Shifting to the West Coast of North America, Season 2 will focus on Japanese Americans during the Second World War, in which a menacing supernatural entity follows the community from their Californian homes to the internment camps and into war in the Pacific.
George Takei as Hikaru Sulu on Star Trek
And, oh my! Star Trek alum and social justice activist George Takei, who portrayed helmsman Hikaru Sulu on the original Trek TV series and films, has also joined the cast and will also serve as a consultant for the second season.
(Takei was interned as a child with his family during the war, and his experiences led to the creation of the musical Allegiance, which Takei starred in.)
Naoko Mori
The cast will also include Derek Mio (Greek), Naoko Mori (Absolutely Fabulous), Miki Ishikawa (Hit), Kiki Sukezane (Lost in Space, which is also shot in Vancouver), and Shingo Usami (Unbroken).
Kiki Sukezane
While a superpowered TV universe revolves around a show that a certain Canadian actor headlines, one of his relatives will also be leading the cast of a different TV series that’s also shot in Vancouver.
Amazon’s sci-fi satire sitcom Upload will shoot 10 episodes for its first season from March 5 to May 10.
The story is set in 2033, when people near death can be uploaded to a virtual afterlife of their choosing.
Robbie Amell
Toronto’s Robbie Amell, cousin of Arrow star Stephen Amell, has been cast in the lead role.
Robbie Amell has starred as Ronnie Raymond/Firestorm/Deathstorm on Arrowverse series The Flash, as well as other Vancouver-shot series such as The X-Files and A Series of Unfortunate Events.
In Upload, he’ll star as partyboy Nathan who, after his self-driving car crashes, is transferred to a version of heaven.
In his virtual reality, Nathan meets the spirited Nora, played by Andy Allo (Pitch Perfect 3), who is secretly searching for romance after being burned in the world of e-dating.
Andy Allo
And on that note, that’s all for this week edition.
But stay tuned—there are lots of comings and goings ahead, with series completing their latest seasons while new production are forecast to arrive in the near future.
Until our next instalment, have fun star-spotting in Vancouver—or Vancouver-spotting on screens near you.
