If you’ve driven through Toronto at night in the past month, there’s a good chance you’ve seen them: Superheroes (and their cars, planes and helicopters) taking over the downtown core.
The city is host to Suicide Squad, a movie being filmed here about the DC Comics anti-hero team by the same name.
As the city closes streets the filming of key scenes, spectators have been documenting the havoc on social media.
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“The Joker-mobile and the Batmobile almost ran me over,” says Paul Hillier, a photographer, who was walking near Yonge St. on Monday night when he saw a car chase between Batman and the Joker.
He snapped some shots, capturing both the Joker’s hot pink Lamborghini — with a licence plate that reads “HAHAHA” — and the custom Batmobile used in the film.
These spectacles have been a consistent conversation topic, much more so than the A-list actors starring in the film.
Fake rubble that appeared two weeks ago on Bloor St. W. near Avenue Rd. has been attributed to the filming.
Posts to Twitter, Instagram and Reddit recorded a staged plane crash on Yonge St. north of College on May 18, while people walking near Bay and Wellington Sts. last Saturday saw the remains of a downed helicopter lying in front of a bank tower.
The movie, directed by David Ayer, features Ben Affleck as Batman, Jared Leto as the Joker, Will Smith as Deadshot, Cara Delevingne as the Enchantress and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn.
Filming continued Tuesday and Wednesday on Yonge St. between King and College Sts., with streets closed from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.
The mayhem may last through summer — the shoot is scheduled to wrap up Aug. 30.
The film, which is scheduled to open in August 2016, centres on a secret government agency that grants imprisoned supervillains reduced sentences in exchange for completing deadly missions.
Suicide Squad is one of several movies, TV series or pilots filming in Toronto at any given time. Spending for on-location productions reached a record $1.23 billion in 2014, says city hall.
Correction – May 27, 2015: This article was edited from a previous version that included a wrong photo of the cast of Suicide Squad.
Meet the supervillains
Harley Quinn
Played by: Margot Robbie
Originally a psychiatrist, Quinn made her debut in Batman: The Animated Series in 1992. She plays a sidekick to the Joker, having fallen in love with him while working in a Gotham asylum and joining in his life of crime. To match the Joker’s getup, she sports a harlequin outfit, and was riding shotgun with him during Monday’s chase.
The Enchantress
Played by: Cara Delevingne
Artist June Moone gained her powers after stumbling upon a secret room inside a castle during a party. In the past, she’s struggled to control her magic, alternating between good and evil, with the Enchantress side of her personality more prone to villainous activity.
The Joker
Played by: Jared Leto
The role of Batman’s most infamous nemesis in Suicide Squad is a mystery. But the car chase between the two suggests it will be nothing short of entertaining.
Deadshot
Played by: Will Smith
A formidable sniper, Deadshot’s robotic eye gives him great accuracy while his weapon of choice is an automatic gun secured to his wrist. Once a crime-fighter named Floyd Lawton, Deadshot’s desire to rule Gotham’s underworld landed him in jail and later a place on the Suicide Squad. He has a desire to die in a blaze of glory and uses earnings from his hits to support his estranged daughter.
Batman
Played by: Ben Affleck
Like the Joker, Batman’s role in Suicide Squad is unclear, but as evidenced by his Yonge St. appearance Monday, he will be making at least a cameo appearance.
Amanda Waller
Played by: Viola Davis
Nicknamed “The Wall” because of her tough nature, Amanda Waller is the government liaison who runs the Suicide Squad. She also heads up the multinational Advanced Research Group United Support. Waller made her DC Comics debut in 1986. She comes from Chicago, where her husband and daughter were murdered in front of her.
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