PORT COQUITLAM, BC — Downtown Port Coquitlam is getting a touch of Hollywood this weekend. Production for the Amazon Prime Video series Elle—the highly anticipated prequel to the hit 2001 comedy Legally Blonde—has descended upon downtown PoCo, bringing a flurry of cameras, crew members, and temporary road closures.
According to a filming notice issued by the City of Port Coquitlam, an Amazon original TV series operating under the working title Hillcrest Road is currently shooting in the downtown core. Industry sources and casting details confirm that Hillcrest Road is the production name for the second season of Elle.
Produced by Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, the new series follows the Seattle high school years of the iconic, fashion-forward Elle Woods long before she sets her sights on Harvard Law. While the first season of Elle, starring Lexi Minetree as the titular teen, is slated to premiere later this year on July 1, the studio is already forging ahead with Season 2. The sophomore season has been actively filming across the Metro Vancouver area since early March and is expected to wrap in mid-June.
Residents and commuters trying to navigate downtown PoCo should prepare for some localized detours and disruptions through Saturday morning. According to the city's notice, the paved public parking lot located at the southeast corner of Kingsway Avenue and Shaughnessy Street (2280 Shaughnessy St.) is closed to the public until 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 16. Fortunately, the large gravel lot right next door at 2276 Kingsway Avenue will remain open for public parking.
Motorists will also face traffic anomalies on McAllister Avenue today. On Friday, May 15, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., the RCMP will conduct intermittent traffic control—with stops of up to three minutes—between Shaughnessy Street and Donald Street. Starting at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, that same stretch of McAllister Avenue will be fully closed to vehicle traffic overnight until 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 16.
The footprint of the production will temporarily impact local commerce as well. Street parking directly in front of PoCo Bowl (on the 2200 block of McAllister Avenue) will be unavailable on Friday, and the bowling alley itself will be closed for the entire day to accommodate the shoot.
The City of Port Coquitlam has assured residents that fire lanes and emergency access routes will remain entirely clear and accessible throughout the filming period. RCMP officers will remain on-site overnight to ensure public safety and secure the production perimeter.