Science World and the False Creek skyline at night — the establishing shot Vancouver plays in hundreds of shows
🎬 Hollywood North

Filmed in Vancouver: The Movies, The Shows, The Streets

How to visit film locations respectfully

  1. Pick a cluster of exteriors in one neighbourhood.
  2. Stay on public sidewalks and parks.
  3. Do not enter private property or block doorways for photos.
  4. Keep groups small during residential hours.
  5. Support a local café in the same area.

Film locations half day

  1. Pick 3 locations max in one cluster.
  2. Walk between nearby spots.
  3. Respect private property and residents.
  4. Pair with food in the same neighbourhood.
🔄 Updated regularly — the "filming right now" list syncs with the official Creative BC registry every week

You have seen Vancouver hundreds of times without knowing it. This city is one of the largest film production centres in North America — it has played New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Tokyo and the end of the world. Deadpool blew up its viaduct, the X-Files made its rain famous, and crews are still here every week — the live Creative BC list below is the source of truth for what is shooting right now. Every location below is real — and you can stand on it.

#3
production hub in North America
15
seasons of Supernatural shot here
40+
years of Hollywood North
2026
Creative BC · live list

🎬 The movies

Deadpool (2016) — Vancouver filming location
🎬 Action · Downtown

Deadpool (2016)

Vancouver-born Ryan Reynolds shot his career-defining superhero movie at home — the film's signature freeway shoot-out was staged on the old Georgia Viaduct, steps from Stadium–Chinatown Station. Walk the neighbourhood and you're standing in the movie.

Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) — Vancouver filming location
🎬 Drama · Downtown

Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

Vancouver doubled for Seattle throughout the trilogy: the 'Heathman Hotel' interiors used Vancouver hotels and the University of British Columbia played the graduation. The castle-roofed Fairmont Hotel Vancouver district is the heart of that on-screen 'Seattle'.

The Twilight Saga (2009–2011) — Vancouver filming location
🎬 Saga · BC wilderness

The Twilight Saga (2009–2011)

New Moon and Eclipse moved the franchise to Vancouver — its rainforest, mountain backdrops and moody skies became Forks. The same Sea-to-Sky scenery you can drive today is all over both films.

Godzilla, Apes & I, Robot — Vancouver filming location
🎬 Blockbusters · Robson Square

Godzilla, Apes & I, Robot

Godzilla (2014), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) and I, Robot (2004) all rebuilt their cities around downtown Vancouver. The Vancouver Art Gallery's neoclassical facade is one of the most-filmed buildings in Canada — it has played courthouses, museums and city halls dozens of times.

🎬 Classics

First Blood (1982) · Happy Gilmore (1996) · Juno (2007)

Rambo's entire first movie was shot in and around Hope, 90 minutes east. Adam Sandler golfed across Metro Vancouver courses, and Juno's Minnesota was actually South Vancouver and Burnaby. Hollywood North goes back over four decades.

🔴 LIVE · updated weekly

🎥 Filming in Vancouver right now

As of August 31, 2026, productions registered as shooting in Metro Vancouver include Anaheim Realm (S1), Calm Current (S3), Category 10 (S2), Blue Skies (S2), Fire Country (S5), When Calls The Heart (S14), The Audacity (S2) and Fender (S1) (source: Creative BC in-production list).

💡 Spot the crews: yellow directional signs zip-tied to lampposts lead to that day's set. This list syncs automatically with the official Creative BC production registry every Monday.

📺 The television city

Gastown — everyone shoots here — Vancouver filming location
📺 The most-filmed streets

Gastown — everyone shoots here

The X-Files (five seasons), Supernatural (fifteen seasons — a record), Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and dozens more have dressed Gastown's Victorian brick as New York, Chicago, Star City and 'anywhere, USA'. Stand by the Steam Clock and you're on one of television's hardest-working streets.

📺 Storybrooke is real

Once Upon a Time — Steveston Village

The fairy-tale town of Storybrooke is Steveston, a fishing village 40 minutes south. The 'Storybrooke' shopfronts are real businesses you can visit — fans still make the pilgrimage, best combined with a whale-watching trip from the same docks.

Riverdale, The Good Doctor & the False Creek look — Vancouver filming location
📺 Skyline stars

Riverdale, The Good Doctor & the False Creek look

Riverdale's diner-noir America and The Good Doctor's 'San Jose' hospital are both Metro Vancouver. Science World and the False Creek skyline are the giveaway in hundreds of establishing shots — once you notice, you'll spot Vancouver in everything.

📺 Cult favourites

Bates Motel · Man in the High Castle · Virgin River

The Bates Motel set was built (twice) in Aldergrove; Amazon's occupied-America was downtown Vancouver with CGI swastikas; and Netflix's Virgin River is BC forest through and through. Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam, a century-old asylum campus, may be the most-filmed single location in Canada — X-Files, Supernatural and countless horror movies shot there.

⭐ Born here: Vancouver's own stars

Hollywood North exports people, too.

Ryan Reynolds · born in Kitsilano

Deadpool himself grew up here, went to Kitsilano Secondary, and shot Deadpool in his hometown. Co-owns the local Wrexham-style football fever too.

Seth Rogen · born in Vancouver

Started stand-up as a teen in Vancouver clubs before Superbad and Pineapple Express. The city's unofficial voice — literally: he announces on the SkyTrain.

Michael J. Fox · raised in Burnaby

Back to the Future legend; BC named a theatre after him. His foundation work made him one of Canada’s most-loved exports.

Michael Bublé · born in Burnaby

The crooner still lives in the area and pops up at local hockey games — Vancouver Giants part-owner.

Cobie Smulders · born in Vancouver

How I Met Your Mother’s Robin and Marvel’s Maria Hill, UBC-bound before acting took over.

Finn Wolfhard · born in Vancouver

Stranger Things’ Mike Wheeler — cast from a Vancouver open call, still reps local bands and indie film.

Joshua Jackson · raised in Vancouver

Dawson’s Creek and Fringe star — Pacey went to school here.

Carrie-Anne Moss · born in Burnaby

The Matrix’s Trinity, born and raised in Metro Vancouver.

Pamela Anderson · born in Ladysmith, BC

Discovered on a BC Lions stadium screen — the most famous jumbotron moment in Canadian history.

🏡 They live(d) here

Not just born here — these stars call (or called) Greater Vancouver home.

Bryan Adams · raised in North Vancouver

The 'Summer of '69' legend grew up on the North Shore, washed dishes on the Vancouver club circuit and cut his first records here — the city still claims every anthem.

Sarah McLachlan · lives in Vancouver

Moved here at 19 to sign with a Vancouver label and never left — she founded the Sarah McLachlan School of Music in the city.

Michael Bublé · lives in Burnaby

Stayed local through global fame; part-owner of the WHL Vancouver Giants.

David Suzuki · longtime Vancouverite

Canada's most famous scientist-broadcaster built his career at UBC and remains one of the city's best-known residents.

Kim Cattrall · raised on Vancouver Island

Sex and the City’s Samantha went to school in Courtenay, BC — island roots she still talks about.

Ryan Reynolds · hometown regular

Lives in the US but shoots, invests and shows up here constantly — Deadpool filming turned into a months-long homecoming.

🎤 See a star live: concerts & big shows

Vancouver is a fixed stop on every major world tour — and hometown heroes like Bryan Adams and Michael Bublé regularly play emotional home shows. Where the big nights happen:

Rogers Arena

The Canucks' 18,000-seat home hosts the biggest arena tours downtown. Event calendar →

BC Place

54,500 seats for stadium acts — Taylor Swift closed the Eras Tour here in Dec 2024. What's on →

Commodore Ballroom

The legendary 1929 sprung-floor club on Granville — everyone from U2 to Nirvana played it on the way up. Shows →

Queen Elizabeth Theatre & Orpheum

Broadway tours, symphony and legacy acts in two heritage rooms. Calendar →

🎟 Tickets for nearly everything above sell through Ticketmaster Canada — set a price alert early; Vancouver dates sell out fast.

🎥 How to spot a live film set (local tricks)

Look for yellow directional signs zip-tied to lampposts with cryptic codes — they guide crews to that day's set. Rows of white trailers and a catering tent confirm it. Creative BC publishes a live "In Production" list, and local outlets round up what's filming each month. Be respectful, stay behind the tape — and yes, locals really do walk past Marvel sets on the way to work.

❓ Filming in Vancouver — FAQ

Why is Vancouver called Hollywood North?

Vancouver is one of the largest film and TV production centres in North America, behind only Los Angeles and New York. Tax incentives, studio capacity, and scenery that can double for almost any city or wilderness have drawn productions here since the 1970s.

What famous movies were filmed in Vancouver?

Deadpool, Fifty Shades of Grey, the Twilight Saga (New Moon and Eclipse), Godzilla (2014), Rise of the Planet of the Apes, I, Robot, Juno, Happy Gilmore and First Blood (Rambo) were all shot in and around Vancouver.

What is filming in Vancouver right now?

See the live list on this page (synced from Creative BC). Titles change weekly — as of late August 2026 that includes shows such as Fire Country, When Calls the Heart, and several new series. Always check Creative BC before you plan a set visit.

Can I visit Vancouver filming locations?

Yes — most are public places: Gastown, the Vancouver Art Gallery plaza, Stanley Park, Steveston Village (Storybrooke from Once Upon a Time) and the downtown core are free to walk any day.

Make a movie day of it

Walk Gastown and downtown for the big-franchise locations, day-trip to Steveston for Storybrooke, then see the skyline every director loves from Stanley Park. Planning around it? Start with our itineraries and getting-around guide.

Stay22 · live rates

Where to stay while you hunt filming locations

Same trip, two jobs: walk the spots from the screen, then sleep somewhere you can actually walk back from at night. Live hotel and rental rates on the map.

Who writes this

FanVancouver is written and run by one person — Alex, in Vancouver, British Columbia. I moved here from Ukraine, stayed, and have been writing this site since 2024. There is no newsroom behind it and no tourist board paying for the copy.

Prices, hours and schedules on this page come from the operator's own page and carry the date they were checked, so you can see how fresh they are before planning around them. Where something could not be verified, the page says so instead of guessing.

How the site is researched is set out on the about page. Something wrong, out of date or missing? Write to [email protected] — corrections get made.