Vancouver's Ryan Reynolds has the lead role in Deadpool, but the actor's hometown also plays a significant part in the Marvel comic book movie.

Vancouverites are used to seeing their city on the big screen, but usually we are subbing in for Seattle, New York, Los Angeles or some other American town because Vancouver never plays itself in the movies.

Although Deadpool takes place in a nameless city, director Tim Miller's movie is full of familiar Vancouver landmarks (minor spoilers ahead):

1. Georgia Street viaduct

The Deadpool crew spent two weeks last April shooting a pivotal action scene on the Georgia Viaduct. The eastbound span that leads out of downtown was closed to traffic during morning hours from April 5-18 to accommodate filming. Commuters who weren't comic book fans were a little annoyed. Once you see the movie, you'll understand why they needed so much time on the viaduct as nearly a third of the film takes place there.





2. Chinatown/Downtown Eastside

While Wade Wilson, Deadpool's alter ego, claims to hail from Regina (although that could have been just an excuse to rattle off a crude joke), he now calls Vancouver's Chinatown home. The disfigured Wilson spends a lot of time moping in the rain around Keefer Street and Gore Avenue. Vancouverites will recognize the storefronts as producers seemingly made no effort to disguise locations. The Sunrise Market (330 Powell Street) also makes an appearance.





3. Cobalt Hotel (917 Main Street)

The outside of the Cobalt Hotel, the venerable and lively Main Street dive bar, gets plenty of screen time as Wade Wilson looks to rescue his ex-girlfriend, a waitress at a strip bar, from danger.





4. No. 5 Orange (205 Main Street)

While the Cobalt plays the exterior of the strip joint, the interior location is most definitely the No. 5 Orange. There is a lot on display in this scene (Deadpool definitely earned its R rating) including the No. 5 Orange's familiar signage. The strip bar's logo also makes an appearance in the film's opening credit sequence.





5. Pub 340 (340 Cambie Street . . . we think)

I'm not 100 per cent sure on this one but I believe the scene in which the villain Ajax (Ed Skrein) kidnaps Wilson's girlfriend Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) was filmed in the alley next to Pub 340.

@yvrshoots deadpool crew setting up in alley next to pub 340 for shooting tonight — Kevin Gelowitz (@KevinSynyster89) May 25, 2015

Deadpool opens this Friday (Feb. 12).

Sbrown@vancouversun.com

Twitter.com/Browniescott



