‘Mr. Robot’ creator to film TV pilot locally
Sam Esmail’s ‘Acts of Crime’ will be a new take on crime drama shows
The creator of “Mr. Robot” is set to be in Hamilton next month to film a pilot for a TV crime drama.
Sam Esmail, 43, produced, wrote and directed episodes of “Mr. Robot,” which starred Rami Malek and Christian Slater and ran from 2015 to 2019. (It ran on Showcase in Canada and the USA Network in the states).
Esmail will be in Hamilton to direct scenes for “Acts of Crime.”
“He will be very active in what is going on,” said one person familiar with the production,
One location is set to be the former Hamilton Spectator building on Frid Street. The newspaper left the building at the end of the last year and it is now owned by the McMaster Innovation Park.
The production is looking to shoot at a home in the Durand neighbourhood, near the downtown. Letters to residents titled “Filming Locations Needed” says NBC-Universal is currently scouting the area for a property.
It says it would like to film interior scenes for one day in March, but notes more time will likely be needed to prepare for the shoot and wrap and clean it up.
It also notes it will have a COVID-19 disinfection team that will clean and thoroughly disinfect the location.
The show is also set to shoot in Etobicoke and Brampton.
The Hollywood Reporter said in January that the ABC network gave a formal pilot order for Esmail’s show.
He will write and direct the show, which the paper describes “as an unique spin on the crime procedural” show. There is no word on who will star.
It is said Esmail’s work often centres on the themes of society, technology and alienation. That certainly speaks for “Mr. Robot” which had the main character join an underground team of hackers to do some financial damage to society.
“Mr. Robot” won two Emmys in 2016 and Esmail was nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series.
Esmail also directed episodes of “Homecoming,” a thriller starring Julia Roberts on Amazon Prime. A future project is a new “Battlestar Galactica” for Peacock, NBC’s streaming channel.
“Acts of Crime” is set to film in the area between March 8-26.
Westdale, Playhouse in play
The city’s two heritage community theatres — Playhouse and Westdale — have not been able to put seats in their seats because of COVID-19, but it has tried to keep film buffs sustained.
The Playhouse on Sherman Avenue North will be involved with the 24th annual Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, Feb. 19-28. Anyone who registers on the Playhouse website to watch will be donating a percentage to the film house. There are three pay packages to watch the films and take part in workshops and panel discussions. The festival features 50 films, including three feature films.
Register through playhousecinema.ca
The Westdale on King Street West has been hosting Film Talks online. For the last month, it has asked people to watch classic film noir —
such as “Double Indemnity” (1944) — and then join an online panel discussion with former Hollywood producer Fred Fuchs.
This Monday it will focus on “The Third Man” (1949). the classic that centres on the manhunt for black marketeer Harry Lime (Orson Welles). It is famous for its zither music and a line star Welles made about Switzerland and cuckoo clocks.
Register on thewestdale.ca. The talk starts at 7 p.m.
Local Globe links
There are Hamilton links to the Golden Globe Award nominations.
Best Motion Picture (Animated) includes “Soul” by Walt Disney/ Pixar. One of the Pixar animators who worked on the film was former Hamiltonian Trevor Jimenez.
“The Queen’s Gambit” has received two nominations, including Best Television Limited Series, Anthology or Motion Picture Made for TV. The show shot a scene in Hamilton where the main character Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy) walks along King Street East. Harmon’s home is in Cambridge.
The Golden Globes will be awarded on Feb. 28.