Giant red pandas, assassins with mistaken identities and an influx of exorcisms may sound like the next instalment of bizarre world events considering the past two years, but they’re actually the plots and characters that will put Toronto at the forefront of film in 2022, thanks to some new releases and the rise of homegrown talent.
Toronto’s cinematic identity has experienced peaks and valleys before, the late 2000s being the last time movies such as “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” and “Take This Waltz” proudly took place in neighbourhoods like Little Portugal. Mike Myers’ lamentable comedy “The Love Guru” centred around the Maple Leafs winning the Stanley Cup.
Yet, for some reason, the city stopped receiving opportunities to play itself on the big screen; instead doubling as other cities in the United States. (Hint: keep a keen eye out while watching the adaptation of Jessica Knoll’s New York City-set “Luckiest Girl Alive” this summer.)
Now, as movie-hungry audiences across the globe hopefully embrace the chance to safely return to theatres, what they’ll see is Toronto in all its glory.
One of 2022’s most anticipated arrivals might be Disney and Pixar’s latest family fantasy, “Turning Red.”
Entirely set in Toronto, this will be one of the first times a major motion picture brings the city to life through computer animation.
Helmed by Toronto-raised Domee Shi in her feature directorial
debut, the film follows her Academy Award-winning short “Bao,” which also illustrated her hometown through the relationship between an empty nester and her baby dumpling.
“Turning Red” is set in 2002 and 2003. Thirteen-year-old Chinese-Canadian protagonist Mei Lee poofs into a giant red panda every time she has “strong emotions.” Even the trailer is unapologetically Torontonian, opening with a shot of the CN Tower and including accurate depictions of Chinatown, Rogers Centre and typical neighbourhood streets.
Starring Ottawa native Sandra Oh, it will bypass movie theatres and start streaming March 11 on Disney Plus.
Later in the year, Toronto is not just the setting but right in the title of Woody Harrelson’s and Kevin Hart’s new action-comedy. Filmed all around the city in the fall of 2020, “The Man From Toronto” follows a screw-up and a worldclass assassin as they are confused for one another when staying at an Airbnb. There’s no trailer yet, but the movie’s release is set for Aug. 12.
Toronto’s own Jacqueline Byers is also getting her due. After supporting roles in small productions and television shows like “Roadies” and “Salvation,” she’ll star alongside Virginia Madsen in the Lions gate produced horror movie“The Devil’ s Light .” Out Feb .11, the movie has been delayed for nearly two years and follows Byers as Sister Ann, who fights for what she believes is her calling: to perform exorcisms.
There’s also buzz surrounding several of Toronto’s most successful filmmakers after some lengthy breaks in between projects.
This year will mark the return of child-actress-turned-auteur Sarah Polley, who hasn’t made a feature in 10 years. Production recently wrapped on her locally shot adaptation of the Miriam Toews novel “Women Talking,” which explores sexual assault and abuse in an isolated Mennonite community. It features an A-list cast including Frances McDormand, Claire Foy and Rooney Mara.
Meanwhile, David Cronenberg, who hasn’t released a motion picture since 2014’s “Maps to the Stars,” has revamped a Toronto-set sci-fi project of his called “Crimes of the Future” — though this version was shot in Athens, Greece.
With a record 27 productions shooting in the city just before the new year, Toronto film commissioner Marguerite Pigott said she’s seeing a return to more customary
scouting and production patterns.
“For three years pre-COVID, we saw 10 per cent growth year over year in production volume, so we’re on a powerful growth trajectory,” Pigott said. “Our most recent reported production volume was $2.2 billion.”
The announcements of local Netflix offices and the Basin Media Hub, a $250-million, 3.6-hectare arts and media centre, are just two prime examples of what’s on the horizon.
“Currently, the industry in Toronto employs 35,000 people and we look forward to seeing this number grow,” Pigott added.
If that doesn’t excite, then the prospect of returning to an in-person Toronto International Film Festival surely will have film buffs bouncing. TIFF’s 47th annual instalment is set to run Sept. 8 to 18.
There is plenty of entertainment to look forward to, but few years, if any, can compare to the level of exposure for Toronto in 2022. And it’s only just begun. Fresh faces and new filmmakers may launch careers, while having the city depicted onscreen could inspire new stories from different perspectives. If that’s the case, maybe a world where New York doubles for Toronto is just around the bend.