With Peterborough & the Kawarthas’ abundance of beauty, it is no wonder many set designers have chosen this region to call the backdrop for their productions. Here are 10 movies and television series that were filmed in various areas of the region:
1. Anne with an E (2017) – Millbrook
Anne with an E, initially titled Anne for its first season, is a Canadian drama television series based on the 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery and adapted by Emmy Award winning writer and producer Moira Walley-Beckett. It aired on CBC in Canada and was later made available for streaming on Netflix. The series premiered on March 19, 2017, on CBC and on May 12 internationally. The series’ second season features Millbrook, ON transformed to resemble Chartlottetown, PEI in the 19th century. For a behind the scenes look at filming, watch the CBC YouTube video here.
2. Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005) – Stony Lake
This sequel of Cheaper By the Dozen starring Steve Martin was filmed on Stony lake. Tom Baker (Steve Martin) is the the head of the Baker family and he takes his family on vacation to a small cabin in “Wisconsin” (Stony Lake, Ontario). One of the children Lorraine is played by Hillary Duff. The Baker’s Cabin for the movie was built and then torn down after the filming. However Tom Baker’s rival, Jimmy Murtaugh (Eugene Levy), cottage is a beautiful cottage on Stony Lake by Burleigh Falls.
3. Jumper (2008) – Peterborough
Jumper is a 2008 American science fiction action film loosely based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Steven Gould. The film follows a young man capable of teleporting as he is chased by a secret society intent on killing him. Jumper was filmed in 20 cities and 14 countries from 2006 to 2007. There were four locations around Peterborough that were used: the Peterborough water tower as “Ann Arbor Water Tower”, a home on Kenneth Avenue as “David’s House”, the Peterborough Public Library as “Ann Arbor Library”, and a home on Edgewater Boulevard as “Millie’s House”. See if you recognize any of the locations when you watch!
4. Murdoch Mysteries (2008-) – Peterborough
Murdoch Mysteries is a Canadian television drama series that premiered on Citytv on January 20, 2008 and currently airs on CBC. The series is based on characters from the Detective Murdoch novels by Maureen Jennings and stars Yannick Bisson as the fictional William Murdoch, a police detective working in Toronto, Ontario in the late 19th century. Hunter St. in Peterborough, ON was featured as Buffalo, NY in an episode titled “From Buffalo with Love” (S9 E17) and The Mount Community Centre was transformed into a workhouse in an episode titled “House of Industry” (S9 E15).
5. Let it Snow (2019) – Millbrook
Let It Snow is an American Christmas romantic comedy film directed by Luke Snellin from a screenplay by Kay Cannon, Victoria Strouse and Laura Solon, based on the young adult novel of the same name by Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle. Isabelle Nuru served as executive producer. It was released on November 8, 2019, by Netflix. The first opening scene may be familiar to some as Millbrook, ON was used for the backdrop of this Christmas film. Millbrook Antiques and Collectibles was transformed into a pet store for the film.
6. Ice Princess (2005) – Millbrook
Ice Princess is a 2005 American figure-skating film directed by Tim Fywell, and stars Michelle Trachtenberg, Joan Cusack, Kim Cattrall and Hayden Panettiere. The film focuses on Casey Carlyle, a normal teenager who gives up a promising future academic life in order to pursue her new-found dream of being a professional figure skater. Downtown Millbrook, ON can be seen as the picturesque town Casey lives in, as well as the Legion Hall that is featured as the ice rink’s exterior.
7. Urban Legend (1998) – Peterborough
Urban Legend is a 1998 American slasher film directed by Jamie Blanks, written by Silvio Horta, and starring Jared Leto, Alicia Witt, Rebecca Gayheart, and Tara Reid. Its plot focuses on a series of murders on the campus of a private New England university, all of which appear to be modeled after popular urban legends. The university exteriors featured in the film is Trent University in Peterborough.
8. Life (2015) – Millbrook
Life is a 2015 biographical drama film directed by Anton Corbijn and written by Luke Davies. It is based on the friendship of Life photographer Dennis Stock and Hollywood actor James Dean, starring Robert Pattinson as Stock and Dane DeHaan as Dean. Filming took place downtown Millbrook on King Street, which was transformed into the 1950s era including the Pastry Peddler shop which was transformed into a 1950s shoe store.
9. Awake (2020) – Peterborough
Awake is an upcoming American science fiction thriller film, directed by Mark Raso, from a screenplay by Raso, Joseph Raso and Gregory Poirier. It stars Gina Rodriguez, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Barry Pepper, Finn Jones, Shamier Anderson, Ariana Greenblatt, Frances Fisher, Lucius Hoyos and Gil Bellows. Production crews were working on various streets around Little Lake in Peterborough, ON, including Crescent and Lock.
10. Jupiter’s Legacy (2020-) – Millbrook
Jupiter’s Legacy is an upcoming American superhero web television series created by Steven S. DeKnight, based on the eponymous comic series by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely, that is set to premiere on Netflix in 2020. The series stars Josh Duhamel, Ben Daniels, Leslie Bibb, Elena Kampouris, Andrew Horton, Mike Wade and Matt Lanter. A few scenes were shot on King Street in Millbrook, ON and featured actor Josh Duhamel. He was seen walking along the main street and attracted fans from across the region.
Photo courtesy of the Millbrook Business Improvement Area.