Port Hope downtown turns back the clock for week of movie filming
It looked as if downtown Port Hope turned back the clock some 50 or 60 years on Monday as film crews filled a portion of Walton Street with vintage cars and characters for “Fairview” filming.
Expect the excitement and delays to continue for much of the week.
Off and on for the past month or so, filing crews from Reaper’s Image Productions have been in Port Hope — recently at town hall — to film more scenes for its upcoming project, “Greetings from Fairview.”
There’s been speculation that “Greetings from Fairview” may be part of an upcoming HBO Max series based on writer Stephen King ’s “It” franchise. The feature film “It” and its sequel “It Chapter Two” saw filming in Port Hope.
For both films, the town subbed in for the fictional city of Derry, Maine. During filming last month, a temporary Welcome to Derry sign was installed at Port Hope’s west end, along Lakeshore Road.
Last year, Hollywood publications shared “Fairview” as the working title for the new streaming series, now expected to be named “Welcome to Derry,” which is expected to air on HBO Max in 2025. On imdb.com, it says the story will follow the events in the 1960s, the time leading up to the events of the first film in the Stephen King “It” series. Stars include Jovan Adepo (“Babylon,” “To Catch a Killer”), James Remar (“Oppenheimer,” “Dexter”) and Madeleine Stowe (“Revenge,” “12 Monkeys”).
Port Hope officials say for much of this week, residents can expect temporary parking impacts, road closures, transit reroutes, and intermittent traffic stops that may cause delays.
Pedestrian traffic and storefront access will be maintained. Port Hope is still open for business during filming.
For the rest of this week, watch for:
Wednesday
Drone filming will be taking place. Streets affected:
Walton Street (from Mill Street South to Ontario Street) and Queen Street (from Augusta Street to Walton Street)
Intermittent pedestrian delays: 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Intermittent traffic stops: 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. and full road closures: 7
a.m. to 11 p.m.
Parking impacts: No parking in the road closure
Mill Street South and Walton Street intersection will experience intermittent traffic stops throughout the day.
Thursday
Filming various exterior shots, with the use of fog effect. Streets affected:
Walton Street (from Mill Street South to Ontario Street) and Queen Street (from Augusta Street to Walton Street)
Intermittent pedestrian delays: 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Intermittent traffic stops: 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. and full road closures: 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Parking impacts: No parking in the road closure
Mill Street South and Walton Street intersection will experience intermittent traffic stops throughout the day.
Friday has been reserved as a rain date. If for any reason, the weather compromises the filming on previous dates, this day will be used for filming.
Residents are advised that parking will be extremely limited in the downtown core until Friday.