Naman Shrestha
Based on ‘The Boys’ comic book Volume 4 ‘We Gotta Go Now’ by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson and a spin-off of ‘The Boys,’ Prime Video’s ‘Gen V’ is a superhero action series created by Craig Rosenberg, Evan Goldberg, and Eric Kripke. Set in the world of its parent show, it chronicles the lives of the first generation of superheroes who come to find out about Compound V and realize that their powers are not God-given but merely given to them through an injection. Regardless, the students of Godolkin University School of Crimefighting go against each other to fight for the highly coveted top rank of the school, putting their physical as well as moral boundaries to the test.
Moreover, the university harbors some dark secrets, which start to unfold as the students come to terms with their fate as future superheroes. The action-adventure comedy series takes place mostly in the Godolkin University School of Crimefighting, which is in the universe of ‘The Boys,’ as the young adult supes’ powers are tested at different locations. Thus, it is natural for you to be curious about the actual filming sites of ‘Gen V.’
Gen V Filming Locations
‘Gen V’ is filmed in Ontario, primarily in the Greater Toronto Area. As per reports, the production of the inaugural iteration of the superhero comedy series got underway in early May 2022 under the working title of ‘The Boys Presents: Varsity’ and continued through the next four months, before wrapping up in September of the same year. The familiar landscape of Ontario, which is also the location where ‘The Boys’ is filmed, makes for an ideal backdrop as it is also set in the same universe as its parent show. Now, without much ado, let’s traverse through all the specific sites where the new superheroes showcase their superabilities and powers in the Amazon Prime series!
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Greater Toronto Area, Ontario
A major chunk of ‘Gen V’ is lensed in the Greater Toronto Area, which includes the eponymous city and other regional municipalities of Durham, Peel, Halton, and York. For instance, the City of Toronto serves as the primary production location for the spin-off series as the cast and crew were reportedly spotted on the campus of Victoria University at 73 Queens Park #106 in Toronto taping several important scenes for the debut season.
With most of the action and drama unfolding in the fictional Godolkin University School of Crimefighting, which is run by Vought International, the production team sets up camp at an actual university — the University of Toronto Mississauga. Situated at 3359 Mississauga Road in Mississauga, the college campus is transformed into the fictitious college for superheroes as the cast and crew put up apt signs, maps, and banners featuring Sinclair and Perdomo’s characters in various areas of the premise for filming purposes.
During a conversation with Collider, Jaz Sinclair, who portrays Marie Moreau, elaborated on what Godolkin University represents and what is its significance. She said, “Godolkin is the college for superheroes. If you want to be a successful superhero, if you wanna represent a city, if you wanna ever make it to The Seven, you kinda have to go through Godolkin, because that’s how you get your spot, that’s how you get your training, that’s how you get your acclaim. So, it’s sort of like superhero starter school.”
The filming unit of ‘Gen V’ also travels to other areas in the Greater Toronto Area, including the city of Brampton and the district of Scarborough. In July 2022, many onlookers and passersby spotted Sinclair and the rest of the crew in and around the Claireville Conservation Area at 8180 Highway 50 in Brampton as they recorded some pivotal exterior scenes for the show’s season 1. Moreover, shooting for a few portions takes place in Ted’s Restaurant at 404 Old Kingston Road in Scarborough as well.
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