The wet PNW winter can often be a slow time in the production world, but this January and February are already lighting up with projects in Portland. And while most of the upcoming local productions are still hush hush (we see you Chad), many things that shot in Portland last year are starting to hit screens in 2020. Here are some locally made projects to look out for in the coming year.
No Oregon project has shown brighter than that of Missing Link, Laika’s most recent feature starring Zach Galifianakis, Hugh Jackman, and Zoe Saldana. In what was considered an upset, it recently won a Golden Globe against giant franchises like Frozen, Toy Story, The Lion King, and How to Train Your Dragon. An original in a sea of sequels, the film is now nominated for an Academy Award against similar heavy hitters. Call us biased, but we are betting on another win.
Speaking of awards, Booksmart was as nominated for a Golden Globe (Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for star Beanie Feldstein), Independent Spirit Award (Best First Feature), and Critics Choice Award (Best Comedy), among others. What hasn’t gotten as much attention, however, is the stop-motion scene in which Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) accidentally ingest hallucinogens and find themselves tripping. Animated at ShadowMachine here in Portland, the most unforgettable scene in the film probably has something to do with the plethora of nominations.
Shot in Portland, the first season of Trinkets quietly dropped on Netflix last year. Based on a young adult novel that centers around three teenage girls who form an unlikely friendship after attending the same mandated Shoplifter’s Anonymous meetings, the show has only gotten positive reviews. Lucky for us, the show was renewed for a second, albeit, final season. Starring Brianna Hildebrand (Deadpool, Deadpool 2), the show finished shooting in Portland in late 2019 and will add Austin Crute (Booksmart), Nik Dodani (Atypical), and Chloë Levine (The OA) in the second season. Maybe with enough fan love in 2020, we could manifest a third season.
If we’re encouraging productions to keep projects alive and thriving in our fair city, it might be time to write strongly worded letters to the creators of Stumptown. While the pilot shot a few scenes here in early 2019, and continues to offer authentic exterior shots throughout season one, the show is filmed in Los Angeles. Called “One of the Best New Shows on TV,” let’s hope they consider bringing stars Colbie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother, The Avengers), Jake Johnson (New Girl, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), and Michael Ealy (Barbershop, 2 Fast 2 Furious) back to the real Stumptown.
Shrill is arguably the most talked-about project to come out of Portland this past year, and the trailer for Season 2 of the mega-hit dropped in early December:
What do you even say about the groundbreaking Hulu series except mark your calendars, the show premieres on January 24th!
Season two of The Wonderland Murders, the true-crime series filmed in Portland, is available on Investigation Discovery. The one-hour series that initially focused on the Portland Police Bureau and six of its most famous and challenging murder investigations is broaching more of the region’s most fascinating cases. If you want a little insight more of the dark and twisted productions of last year, check out our cagey fall recap that highlights some of the features filmed in Portland last year, namely The Rental, First Cow, and Waterman, which are slated to be released in 2020.
Outside of the film and TV world, The Lumineers released a concept album, “III,” along with videos that shot in Portland last year. The album tells a story in three acts, alongside ten music videos, and continues to resonate with new listeners. Some interesting “making of” footage recently surfaced offering interviews with the cast and crew, and showing off some Gearhead gear.
There is plenty more where that came from, with new premiere dates at every turn, and crew calls popping up around town in the coming months. Stay tuned!
