Montreal transformed into San Diego for the filming of the American action film “Mayday”

Montreal has often served as the setting for American films set in New York. But now, for a rare time, it is the city of San Diego which is being recreated these days in the metropolis.

• Read also: Find out what the big American shoots are in Montreal and Quebec this spring

A portion of Sainte-Catherine Street, in the Village, was in fact transformed into a historic district of San Diego for the purposes of filming Maydaya Hollywood action film starring Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh.

The storefronts of several businesses located between Rue de la Visitation and Rue Panet have been changed to make us believe that we are in the Gaslamp Quarter, one of the liveliest areas of downtown San Diego, in southern California. .

Several signs reading “Welcome to Gaslamp Quarter” have also been installed on the sidewalk.

Among the fake businesses recreated for the occasion, we find an art gallery, a bookstore, a tattoo studio, a Mexican restaurant and a lighting store.

At the time of our visit, we could even see real palm trees getting ready to be erected on the sidewalk.

The filming of Maydaya production by Skydance Studios and Apple Original Films, began in early March and will continue in Montreal and its surrounding areas until the end of May.

The film’s main star, Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds (Dead Pool), has been seen several times in the metropolis in recent weeks, notably at the funeral of former Prime Minister of Canada Brian Mulroney, at the Notre-Dame basilica, last month.

His partner, American actress Blake Lively, also spent time in town if we rely on the photos of Montreal restaurants that she published on her Instagram account in early March.

This is not the first time that Montreal has been transformed for the needs of American filming. In the summer of 2022, the production team of the horror film Scream 6 had modified the banners of the businesses and had even added a New York subway entrance for the filming of scenes to take place in the Big Apple.

We also remember that in 2017, part of Mount Royal was transformed into Central Park for the filming of a film in the saga X-Men.