Hamilton writer of popular Netflix sequel Code 8 on what it was like to film in his hometown

The new Netflix movie Code 8: Part II is set in the fictional Lincoln City, but some of the millions of viewers who have streamed it in its first few days may recognize On‐ tario on the screen.

The film was shot in a few cities in the province, includ‐ ing Hamilton, whose history helped inspire the fictional setting, said co-writer and producer Chris Paré.

Like Hamilton, Lincoln City experienced a post-industrial slump that brought poverty to working-class neighbour‐ hoods. That's a familiar story for Paré because he grew up here and has family who worked for the big steelmak‐ ers, Stelco and ArcelorMittal Dofasco.

"I definitely saw the change in the city," he said. "It made a ton of sense to shoot a lot of it in Hamilton for that very reason. … Hamilton was definitely a major influence on where we want to set this movie."

The sci-fi action sequel be‐ gan streaming on Feb. 28. Ac‐ cording to Netflix, the film was the streamer's mostwatched English movie in the world as of March 3, with 20 million views, surpassing the first film's 7.8 million.

Like the first film, which came out in 2019, it follows Connor, a young person with superpowers. He's one of about four per cent of the population with special abili‐ ties. While once prized as workers, people like him are marginalized and oppressed. Living in poverty, Connor gets involved in crime to help pay for his mother's healthcare.

WATCH | How Hamil‐ ton's industrial legacy in‐ spired Code 8

Movie started as a short film

Paré met Code 8: Part II di‐ rector Jeff Chan while work‐ ing as an agent in the indus‐ try, shortly after studying at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ont.

"We just had similar tastes and wanted to make cool, ex‐ citing stuff," Paré told CBC Hamilton from the Toronto office of his longtime visual effects collaborator, a com‐ pany called Playfight, which worked on Code 8 and the sequel.

One day, Chan shared an idea for what would become their 2016 short film Code 8, which served as a teaser for the eventual first feature, which was released on Net‐ flix in 2020. One of the goals, Paré said, was to work with friends and make the movie locally.

They cast his friend and hockey teammate Robbie Amell, and would later cast Robbie's cousin Stephen Amell in the feature-length film. The Amells are Canadi‐ an actors well known for their roles playing DC super‐ heroes on TV; Robbie was Firestorm in The Flash and Stephen played Green Arrow on Arrow.

"It began with a cool short film, not because of the Amells," Stephen Amell told

CBC Radio show Commotion. "We asked a lot of people on faith and I think we deliv‐ ered."

Netflix pushed for a se‐ quel

The team crowdfunded the movie, starting with a cam‐ paign goal of $200,000 but eventually raising $2.4 mil‐ lion. "I don't think we could do it again. … This was lucky," Robbie Amell told Commo‐ tion.

When the first movie came out on Netflix, it made it onto the company's lists of most-watched movies around the world. Paré said it's hard to put how he felt in‐ to words. "It feels like you made it."

After its success, Netflix acquired the rights to the se‐ quel, but "let us still do it our way," Paré said, by keeping production local. "You don't necessarily have to go to Hol‐ lywood. … The talent is here."

In a Netflix report on the film's production, the com‐ pany wrote the movie fea‐ tured an all-Canadian cast and nearly all-Canadian crew. It added that Canadian labour made up over 99 per cent of total labour costs. Over 97 per cent of nonlabour spending went to Canadian vendors.

Stelco lands, Liuna Sta‐ tion, Auchmar Manor featured

The sequel was filmed in On‐ tario from October to De‐ cember 2021. Netflix said a third of production time was spent in Toronto's Main and Danforth area. Locations also included the former max‐ imum-security prison Kingston Penitentiary. There were also shoots in Hamil‐ ton.

"One of my favourite ac‐ tion pieces in the movie was right at Stelco under this little overpass," Paré said. "My dad worked there many years ago and to be able to shoot something there feels really special."

"Hamilton just seemed to have so many different unique looks all within a close proximity to each oth‐ er," he said.

Liuna Station near West Harbour GO Station doubled as Lincoln City's courthouse, and after seeing Auchmar Manor House, the filmmak‐ ers were inspired to write in a scene there, with the his‐ toric property becoming an abandoned orphanage the characters hide out in.

Paré said he also enjoyed flying over Hamilton in a heli‐ copter to get aerial shots they used when depicting aerial drones patrolling Lin‐ coln City. "I got to fly over Hamilton in every direction looking all over the city," he said.

What's next for Paré

Paré said that with Code 8, he and Chan wanted to make a movie they wanted to watch. "We love all the Mar‐ vel stuff. It's great, but it's so big. The world is at stake. Cities are falling."

They wanted to take a more "street-level approach," drawing viewers in with char‐ acters they could relate to, he said.

The filmmakers also wan‐ ted to explore ideas such as how technology has influ‐ enced policing.

Paré said he is now work‐ ing on other films including an indie comedy, some of which was shot in Hamilton.

He's also excited to see what other doors Code 8 might open. "We always talk about making a third one. We'd love to do that."