Written by new-contact on Mar 17, 2014. Posted in On Location

Cable channel Syfy to film TV event series Ascension on location in Montreal

Cable channel Syfy will film TV miniseries Ascension in Montreal, Canada. The series will follow a murder investigation on a vast interstellar space mission launched at the height of the Cold War. X-Men: Days of Future Past has been among the recent high-profile films shooting in the city.

“Syfy is more committed than ever to bringing to life epic event television,” said Syfy President Dave Howe: “We have a rich history in this arena, from Steven Spielberg’s Taken to the highly-acclaimed mini that launched the Battlestar Galactica series, to re-imagined takes on classic tales such as Alice and Tin Man. In keeping with that grand tradition, we are delighted to bring this thrilling, provocative and intelligent event to our fans later this year.”

Montreal is one of Canada’s production hubs and in recent years has hosted sci-fi sequel Riddick, as well as action thriller White House Down (above), which doubled the city for Washington, DC. Quebec offers a base 25% filming incentive, which has helped stimulate the production industry.

There’s also a 20% tax credit for visual effects, and both Technicolor and Cinesite VFX have announced new Montreal offices in the past six months.

Syfy is more committed than ever to bringing to life epic event television. We have a rich history in this arena.

Dave Howe, President of Syfy

Mel’s Cite du Cinema is the city’s top studio facility and offers five separate sound stages, the largest of which spans 13,650 square feet.

Syfy recently commissioned new supernatural TV drama Dominion - based on the 2010 sci-fi horror feature Legion - which will be doubling South Africa for a dystopian Las Vegas. The cable channel has also been involved with Universal Cable Productions for the sci-fi drama Defiance, which doubles Toronto for a dystopian Missouri.