Liuna Station will play a role in new Amazon Prime series ‘Alex Cross’
Liuna Station will stand in for a Washington museum for the upcoming detective series Alex Cross."
The Amazon Prime program, which filmed on Keith Street a couple of weeks ago, set up production at the James Street North banquet centre last week.
It filmed inside and outside of the former CN passenger station and re-christened it The Richardson Museum of Washington DC. The show is also known as just Cross."
Two large blue banners were hung between the pillars of the former CN passenger station. The banners heralded the name of a charity gala, Investing In Tomorrow, being staged at the museum. The beneficiaries are The Somewhere Foundation, DC Scores and Food on the Stove.
No doubt the cameras will try and avoid capturing the Canadian National Railways sign just above the pillars.
Aldis Hodge (Black Adam" 2022) stars as Alex Cross, the character in 29 novels by bestselling author James Patterson. The former forensic psychologist and FBI agent, who has problems coping after the murder of his wife, is now a consultant to the Washington police and FBI.
It's a big production for Hamilton and it appears it will be in the city to film other scenes over the next few months. The production took over the top parking lot and a good chunk of the rear parking lot at Liuna Station. Alex Cross has appeared in three Hollywood movies and Amazon Prime started talking about bringing it to the streaming service three years ago.
Variety has reported the show will also feature Jennifer Wigmore (Designated Survivor," which filmed in Hamilton) and Samantha Walkes, who has appeared in Murdoch Mysteries" (also a regular TV show visitor to Hamilton).
Wigmore is set to play Chief Anderson, the DC Metro's chief of police, while Walkes will play Elle Monteiro, a love interest of Cross and executive director of a high-profile nonprofit.
Liuna has been the backdrop for many movies and TV shows. Perhaps two of the best known are X-Men" (2000), in which Sir Ian McKellan playing Magneto lifts up police cars in front of the station, and The Long Kiss Goodnight" (1996), where Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson jump out of a second storey window to escape assassins.
It's continuing to look a lot like Christmas in Hamilton.
Three holiday movies filmed in the city over the last month - Christmas Casanova," The Christmas Quilt" and Unforgettable Christmas."
Nothing is known about the plots of the movies, being made by Toronto-based Champlain Media, but look for these titles at the end of this year on the Lifetime Channel, CTV Drama Channel or even Global TV. In the U.S, they will probably land on Hallmark or Lifetime.
Christmas Casanova" filmed on a Gage Park path near Gage Avenue South and Lawrence Road last month. It also shot scenes at a home on William Street in Carlisle in the third week of January.
It moved to Cambridge Jan. 22-23 and shot in a part of downtown Galt.
It reportedly features Kalinka Kapetrie, the Montreal-born and bilingual actress who plays Angie in the wildly popular comedy Letterkenny" on Crave and Lucie Clay on Hallmark's show When Hope Calls."
Her film roles include a past Christmas flick called Best Christmas Party Ever" (2014).
Christmas Casanova" was directed by London-Ont. born actor and director Will Bowes. He won a Canadian Screen Award in 2021 as Best Director, web program or series, for Hey Lady!" It starred Hamilton's own Jayne Eastwood.
Unforgettable Christmas" shot scenes at The Cotton Factory and The Christmas Quilt" filmed at The Scottish Rite.
Accused," which was shot in Hamilton is now on Fox/Global TV.
This anthology show, based on an award-winning BBC program, is a crime drama told from the defendant's point of view. It tells stories where one wrong turn leads to another until it's too late to turn back." There are lots of twists and turns.
The show filmed all over the Greater Toronto/Hamilton Area last year. Locally, cameras rolled at the David Braley Health Sciences Centre in downtown Hamilton in April, the Columbia College Campus on Northcliffe Avenue in Dundas in August and at Tim Hortons Field in September. Each episode is named after a defendant.
Scott's Story," the first episode, tells the story of a doctor (Michael Chiklis) who suspects his teenage son is planning a mass shooting at his high school. It filmed scenes at the David Braley centre.
Danny's Story" is about a teenage boy (Reid Miller) who suspects foul play in the death of his ill mother when he finds out his father and a nurse were having an affair. Scenes were filmed at Columbia College Campus. The ending is reminiscent of an episode from Alfred Hitchcock Presents."
Daniel Nolan is a freelance writer who writes about film for The Hamilton Spectator. He can be reached at dannolanwrites@gmail.com