Fantastic voyage

Vancouver – The recent home of Catwoman and X-Men 2 is about to make room for Fantastic Four, the latest comic-book-turned-movie franchise to go before the cameras in Vancouver.

The 20th Century Fox production, billed as a ‘bittersweet comedy,’ is directed by Tim Story (Barbershop) and shoots Aug. 23 to Dec. 22.

In the story, four astronauts return from space with super-powers after being zapped with cosmic radiation. According to Internet sources, the cast includes Ioan Gruffudd (King Arthur) as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Jessica Alba (Dark Angel) as Sue Storm/The Invisible Girl, Chris Evans (Fierce People) as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch and Michael Chiklis (The Shield) as Benjamin Grimm/The Thing.

In the plot, the quartet battles Dr. Doom, who was not cast at press time. Ian Edwards

That’s snowbiz

Montreal – While Christmas is the last thing that comes to mind at the height of summer, that’s just what Montreal’s Muse Entertainment is thinking of as the cameras roll on A Christmas Without Ornaments.

‘Can you imagine a bigger challenge than making Christmas snow in July?’ says Irene Litinsky, the Muse producer on the project. ‘We’re going to need a lot of crushed ice and snowbiz!’

The 19-day shoot – which started July 23 – is a service gig for California-based Daniel H. Blatt Productions. The MOW is the third installment of a series, including A Town Without Christmas (2001) and Finding John Christmas (2003), all starring Peter Falk. The first two were shot in Halifax.

‘I worked with [executive producer] Dan Blatt in September on a film called Bad Apple, so we know each other and he decided to shoot the third movie here [in Montreal], with us,’ says Litinsky.

A Christmas Without Ornaments, to be aired by CBS this December, is about Max (Falk), an angel who saves an ornament factory from automation and, in the process, reunites the family who founded the business.

Directed by Andy Wolk, who helmed the first two installments, and written by Michael J. Murray, the film uses several local department heads: Francois Sylvestre is the production manager; Guy Lalande is the production designer; Pierre Jodoin in the DOP; and Odette Gadoury is the costume designer.

Shooting locations include an old glass factory, various spots in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue and Old Montreal, which is posing as Berlin in the 1960s. Joanne Latimer