Film crew transforms Cambridge pizza shop

A Cambridge pizza restaurant got a temporary makeover this week, turning into a fictitious donut shop as part of a film production.

Although not officially confirmed, the project is widely believed to be the Amazon TV series “Reacher,” which has filmed in the city before.

“It's kind of weird, but super cool at the same time,” said Andrea Theophanous, owner of Cyprianna's Pizzeria, which was turned into “Dinky’s Joe and Go” for the shoot. “My kids are all excited about it. We took a bunch of pictures yesterday.”

“I was approached last year or they mentioned that they were looking at a spot around here for to do a scene for a really popular show for Amazon.”

Theophanous said while the negotiations took a while, the total makeover of her Queen Street storefront was very quick.

Crews arrived Tuesday morning and had the place looking like a New England coffee and donut spot by 2 p.m. Filming started Wednesday morning and was expected to last until 8 p.m.

Nearby businesses were happy to see the action in their neighbourhood.

“I’m a big fan,” said David Mandryk of Hespeler Physiotherapy. “Hopefully [I] get a selfie.”

Filming will move to a different location in Hespeler Thursday.

What else has been filmed in Cambridge?

Cambridge has played host to several major productions over the past several years including The Handmaid’s Tale, The Queen’s Gambit, American Gods and Murdoch Mysteries.

In 2022, Richard Gere left quite an impression on a Galt pizza shop owner when he stopped in for a meal and a cup of tea while filming nearby.

“There's lots of nice old architecture here, and actually a lot of really interesting places,” said Robin Steed with the Hespeler Village BIA.

Despite the temporary impacts on traffic, film projects are a big boost for the community.

“The people come to see what's going on and they'll sort of spill out into the local restaurants, cafes and stuff,” Steed said.

It’s also a reason for Cambridge residents to get excited about their hometown.

“It also just brings attention to Hespeler,” Steed said. “Not everybody knows the place and so brings up visibility.”

According to the city, other exciting projects could be on the way this summer, but there’s nothing to announce yet.