A superhero movie shoot featuring Vancouver-born Ryan Reynolds will shut down traffic on the Georgia Viaduct for much of two weeks in April, complicating the commute for some drivers.
Filmmakers with 20th Century Fox say they need the complete shutdown of the viaduct to shoot a key scene of the new movie Deadpool, the latest in Marvel's X-Men series slated for release in early 2016.
“The use of the viaduct is necessary to accommodate a critical scene that requires the appearance of highway overpasses entering a major urban centre," said John Kelly, the film's executive director.
The City of Vancouver says it's scheduling the shutdowns to minimize disruption to rush hour traffic on the eastbound Georgia Viaduct.
It will be closed to traffic from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays from April 6 to 16. When filming completes at 3 p.m., one lane will open to allow traffic to pass a 100-metre screened area. All lanes will open once past that area.
On Sunday, April 5, filming will take place 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 11.
The production has held options to use the viaduct on April 12, 17, and 18 for contingency purposes.
The westbound Dunsmuir Viaduct will remain open to traffic.
"After scouting locations in North America and Europe, we selected Vancouver for both budgetary reasons and because of the City’s increasingly positive reputation regarding its support for filming," Kelly said.
The production intends on spending more than $37.5 million directly and will hire more than 1,100 people.