Canadians 'Run This Town': Who's in the new Rob Ford film?

The film both is and isn't about Rob Ford - The late former mayor of Toronto had a history of heavily reported alcohol and drug abuse. A scandalous video surfaced of him appearing as though he was smoking crack cocaine and several accusations of sexual assault were made against him. While that is more than enough to make a movie about, the writer and director of this film says it's not about Ford.

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Ricky Tollman shut down the rumours - The Toronto-native writer and director of the film told the National Post that the film is an imagined story that features Ford briefly, but focuses on fictional millennial reporters who are trying to succeed in their field.

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It's currently shooting in Toronto - The thriller occurs loosely during Ford's last year of his mayoral term, between 2015 and 2016. It will reportedly more closely follow the interns and assistants around him.

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It doesn't really matter that Damian Lewis is cast as Rob Ford - Tollman said he chose the English 'Homeland' actor for his capacity to play both the light and dark sides of Ford. But if his role is rather minor, then who are the real stars?

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Nina Dobrev - The Canadian actress is rumoured to play one of Ford's political aides who must try to keep her boss in check, and the scandal under wraps, to keep her job.

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Nina Dobrev - Dobrev has grown up through her roles, starting as Mia Jones in 'Degrassi: The Next Generation,' moving on to Elena Gilbert in 'The Vampire Diaries,' and later appearing in films such as 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' and 'Flatliners.'

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Nina Dobrev - This role will have Dobrev back in her hometown, where she attended Ryerson University and got her first acting roles. Hopefully 'Run This Town' will see her evolve into a new role we haven't seen before!

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Mena Massoud - The Canadian actor just finished filming as the lead in Disney's new live-action remake of 'Aladdin,' but this role will put him in a less musical universe.

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Mena Massoud - Like Dobrev, Massoud will be returning to the city where he went to university—first at the University of Toronto to study neuroscience, then at Ryerson when where he changed his path to focus on theatre and acting.

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Scott Speedman - The British-Canadian film and television actor is billed to co-star in the film as well. He is best-known for playing Ben Covington in the drama series 'Felicity' and a lycan-vampire hybrid in the gothic action 'Underworld' films.

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Scott Speedman - He's currently starring as Barry "Baz" Blackwell in the TNT crime drama series 'Animal Kingdom,' and you can also catch him on the latest season of 'Grey's Anatomy.'

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Gil Bellows - You might remember this Vancouverite for his role as Tommy Williams in 'The Shawshank Redemption' or as CIA agent Matt Callan in the television series 'The Agency.'

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Gil Bellows - Bellows has appeared in well over 100 different shows and films, and this year he'll be adding 'Run This Town' to his filmography.

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Lauren Collins - As a Toronto-based film, it's only appropriate that there be a 'Degrassi: The Next Generation' reunion. Collins co-starred on the show with Dobrev, playing Paige Michalchuk for 143 episodes.

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Lauren Collins - Like Dobrev, this role will see Collins in a much different light than her previous work, which was often in young adult shows or supporting roles. She appeared in films including 'Take the Lead' and 'Charlie Bartlett.'

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Emily Dickinson - The Toronto-native actress appeared in one episode of 'Suits' in 2011 and the show 'Taken' in 2017, but this role will see her back on the streets of Toronto.

(Photo: Flickr)

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Emily Dickinson - Dickinson created a mini-series called 'Young & Ozington' that followed two young women, one from Toronto and one from Australia, as they navigate their 20s.

(Photo: Flickr)

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Justin Kelly - Another young Canadian actor who graduated from 'Degrassi' will appear in the film.

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Emmanuel Kabongo - Kabongo immigrated to Toronto when he was just two, and he's best known for his role in the web series 'Teenagers,' which garnered him a Canadian Screen Award nomination.

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Emmanuel Kabongo - He's previously starred in feature films including 'The Animal Project' and 'Antibirth,' and he's also guest-starred on numerous television shows like 'Call Me Fitz,' 'Murdoch Mysteries,' 'Rookie Blue,' and 'Quantico.'

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Hamza Haq - The Pakistani-Canadian actor landed his first role playing a bookstore employee on the series 'Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays' and has since appeared in 'Quantico,' 'Best Laid Plans,' and 'The Art of More.'

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Hamza Haq - He'll be appearing in the film 'Bon Cop Bad Cop 2' and has appeared in the film 'Glass Castle' alongside Brie Larson, Naomi Watts, and Woody Harrelson.

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Hamza Haq - Haq currently plays Raza Ali in the CBC series 'This Life,' and he'll literally be right at home when filming 'Run This Town' in Toronto.

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American actor Ben Platt and Toronto reporter Robyn Doolittle's qualms with his starring role - The Toronto reporter was very disappointed about the rumours that Ben Platt would be playing the role of a reporter who attempts to expose the politician's scandal—a role she played in real life.

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She took to Twitter to air her concerns - Doolittle initially gained recognition for her coverage of Ford, even going so far as to write the book 'Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story.' So when she heard about the casting decisions, she wrote, "I'm glad they're rewriting the fact that it was a female reporter who investigated Rob Ford. Why have a woman be a lead character when a man could do it? Ammaright?"

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She has nothing against Platt, she assured everyone - Her real problem was with the all-too-familiar cinematic choice of male reporters' stories being celebrated over female reporters'.

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Platt tried to clear things up - The actor responded to her disgruntled tweets, and everyone else's, by ensuring her that he has the utmost respect for her accomplishments. He also highlighted the fact that the story is a historical fiction—not a biopic—and that he'd never agree to be in a film "that would attribute the accomplishments of a remarkable woman to a fictional man."

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This isn't the first film inspired by Rob Ford - 'Filth City,' written and directed by Canadian Andy King, came out in 2017 and follows the story of a mayor running for re-election who is caught on video smoking crack. Sound familiar?

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Canadians get filthy - The cast featured homegrown talent like Melinda Shankar, Lamar Johnson, Kenny Hotz, and Brooks Gray. Pat Thornton played the mayor.

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