The bright lights are shining on a familiar London landmark this week
It's a bridge that sits on the border of Ironwood Township, Penn., but Londoners know it better as Blackfriars Bridge.
Blackfriars is getting a second chance at a cameo in the upcoming Amazon Prime video series ‘Motorheads.’
"They were going to film here, last August was when they first reached out,” said Andrew Dodd.
Dodd is the manager of Film London, an arm of the London Economic Development Corporation.
He continued, “A couple of weeks before shooting, the strikes happened in Hollywood. SAG-AFTRA went on strike and the whole thing had to shut down."
Dodd wasn't sure London would get a second chance, but then the call came, "Start of this year, 2024, they reach out again and said we have every intention of coming back."
Sign on London's Blackfriars Bridge, seen on April 17, 2024, welcomes people to Ironwood Township, Penn. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)
The series features Ryan Phillippe, Nathalie Kelley, and Michael Cimino.
It's set in a once-thriving Rust Belt town where outsiders form unlikely friendships over a love of automobiles.
Dodd said there are online databases that industry leaders use to select locations.
“There are a few different libraries that people in the industry can access,” Dodd told CTV News. “There’s Ontario Creates, which is a provincial locations library database. We also have a London-specific database on London.ca. Then we get word-of-mouth out to as many location managers and scouts as we can about what great resources and locations we have here in London."
Sherrie Cameron lives on Blackfriars Street, about a block away from the bridge. She said members of the production team reached out to those in the neighbourhood prior to the production getting underway, "He said, 'Are you ready for the circus?"
Equipment at Blackfriars Bridge in London, Ont., seen on April 17, 2024, to be used for shooting an Amazon Prime TV show. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)
Cameron regularly uses Blackfriars Bridge to go into the downtown. She said she had no issue with losing access for a few days, and was looking forward to seeing production crews in action, "I can't wait for it. Yeah, I'll be out here recording it for sure."
Dodd said none of the stars were expected to be on site, with the scene primarily using stunt team members.
Still, streets in the neighbourhood were lined with equipment trucks, preparing for shooting which would take place Thursday evening.
Dodd said film, TV, and streaming service productions bring a significant benefit to the community, “They stay in our hotels. They'll hire our local crews. They'll pay residents of friendly communities like Blackfriars to park in their driveway or maybe to use part of their property. They'll eat at our restaurants. So it's a good news story for London."
A release date for Motorheads has not been set.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump confronts repeated boos during raucous Libertarian convention speech
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention.
No sign Canada has a plan to reach NATO defence spending target: U.S. NATO ambassador
The U.S. ambassador to NATO says she has seen no indication that Canada has a plan to reach the NATO spending target of two per cent of GDP on defence.
This type of screen time has the worst effect on kids: experts
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.
Family of toddler found dead at small-town Ont. daycare no closer to answers after year of investigation
A year has passed since two-year-old Vienna Irwin was found on the property of a home-based daycare in small-town Ontario, but her family says they are no closer to answers of what happened that day.
More seniors are using homeless shelters. Here's why, according to experts
One of the country’s homeless shelters has seen an uptick in the number of people through its doors, including more older adults over 50.
Grayson Murray, two-time PGA Tour winner, dead at 30
Two-time PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray died Saturday morning at age 30, one day after he withdrew from the Charles Schwab Cup Challenge at Colonial.
Humboldt Broncos crash victims and families react to decision to deport truck driver
The family of one of the victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018 says they are 'thankful' for a decision by a Calgary immigration board to deport the driver of the truck involved.
Apollo Hess, Indigenous swimmer, to take on 2024 Summer Olympics
Getting the call that changes your life can feel like time stops in its track. For one small-town Alberta man, a dream he has been training for since he was a child is coming true and it will take him and his team overseas.
Fatal plane crash reported near Squamish, B.C.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has confirmed it is working with local Mounties and the BC Coroners Service after a plane crash near Squamish, B.C. Friday night.