Everyone, it seems, is talking about the “The Adam Project!” From morning shows to magazines to social media, you can’t turn around in recent weeks without seeing or hearing mention of the new action-adventure film, which hit Netflix on Friday and has been holding onto the streamer’s coveted number one spot ever since. The heartwarming tale sees 2050s pilot Adam Reed (Ryan Reynolds) returning to the year 2022 to save humanity from the evils that have come about due to the invention of time travel, a concept developed by his scientist father, Louis (Mark Ruffalo). While visiting the past, Adam meets his 12-year-old self, played by newcomer Walker Scobell (in his first-ever acting role!), and the two prove an unbeatable – not to mention hilarious – duo!
Audiences, critics and daytime television hosts alike promptly fell in love with the flick (with Ellen DeGeneres even declaring it “the E.T. of our generation!”) thanks to its witty dialogue, poignant storyline and distinct ‘80s vibe. The retro feel shouldn’t come as a surprise considering the production was helmed by Shawn Levy, who also serves as an executive producer and frequent director of Netflix’s beloved “Stranger Things” series.
Set in Seattle, filming of “The Adam Project” took place a few hours north of Emerald City in Vancouver, British Columbia and its environs. The Sundance Pub & Inn in the city of Delta, an oft-filmed lodging that has been featured in a slew of recent productions, stands in for the Pine Ridge Motel, where the two Adams try to convince their dad to “put the genie back in the bottle and destroy time travel before it’s even invented.” Adult Adam gives his mom, Ellie (Jennifer Garner), child-rearing advice at The Blarney Stone in Vancouver’s Gastown neighborhood. Rainier Pharmacy, where adult Adam shops for pharmaceutical supplies, is the Shoppers Drug Mart at 2490 Marine Dr. in West Vancouver. And young Adam gets beat up by local bullies just down the street at the Dundarave Beach Cafe. But the film’s best-loved location, the one that had the Twitterverse oohing and ahhing all weekend, is the mid-century home where young Adam lives with his parents.
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Image Credit: Google For the shoot, Levy instructed production designer Claude Paré to create “the house that you would dream of living in.” And the Reed residence is indeed the stuff dreams are made of – a mid-century-modern-inspired marvel composed of a glorious combination of wood, stone and glass. In an unfortunate twist, though, the house as seen onscreen doesn’t actually exist.
As is commonplace with most large-scale productions, a set was used for all interior scenes involving the Reeds’ home. Filming is much easier and far more convenient for cast and crew when done in the controlled environment of a studio, especially if said cast consists of a slew of A-Listers like “The Adam Project.”
As is also typical with most productions, an actual residence was used for external shots of the Reeds’ house. In what amounted to a very atypical move, though, its façade was heavily modified for the shoot, rendering it virtually unrecognizable.
As noted on the interactive map website Netflix in your Neighborhood, “The charming Lynn Valley community of North Vancouver is where the exterior of Adam’s family home was shot.” That exterior in its unaltered state can be found at 590 E. Kings Rd. (Please remember this is a private residence. Do not trespass or bother the property or its owners in any way.)
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Image Credit: Google Paré truly worked his magic on the location via CGI, adding a peaked roof section to its southern end and replacing the entire second story with a set of clerestory windows to better jibe with the split-level design of the set.
The only portion of the house left intact for the shoot was a section of the lower level that included the glass and wood front door, stacked stone accenting and modern cottage windows.
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Image Credit: Google The grass block pavered driveway, front yard foliage and step stone walkway were also left untouched.
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Image Credit: Eric Christiansen, Bellevue Realty Group In real life, the residence is much larger than it appeared to be onscreen, with four bedrooms (all ensuite) and five baths spread throughout an impressive 4,750 square feet.
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Image Credit: Eric Christiansen, Bellevue Realty Group Built in 2015 to replace a small clapboard cabin that originally stood on the premises, the sprawling abode was designed by the Symphony Homes Ltd. development company. Far more modern in style than its onscreen counterpart, the dwelling boasts sleek interiors accented by hardwood flooring, vaulted ceilings, stacked stone walls and handsome built-ins.
The attractive living spaces consist of a formal entry, a living room, a family room, a dining room, a bookshelf-lined library and a kitchen featuring polished white cabinets, a center island and a slew of stainless steel appliances, including a convection oven and an oversized fridge.
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Image Credit: Eric Christiansen, Bellevue Realty Group Situated on a sylvan 0.30-acre corner lot chock full of mature pines, the grounds boast landscaped gardens, grassy expanses, a built-in fire pit and a water feature.
And it all just changed hands for a cool $4 million CAD (around $3.1 million USD).
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Image Credit: Eric Christiansen, Bellevue Realty Group Initially offered for $3,698,000 CAD in September 2021, the pad ultimately sold last December for $302,000 CAD over asking! The listing was held by Eric Christiansen of Bellevue Realty Group, a leading Vancouver-area agent who has the distinction of ranking in the city’s top 1% of realtors for the last 19 years running!
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Image Credit: Netflix The inside of the property looks nothing like its onscreen replacement, which, instead of boasting spacious but defined rooms, is much more intimate and open. Of the design, Paré said, “We wanted the interior of the home to look like a split-level dream house you’d typically find in the Pacific Northwest, but also something that looked like it had come together over the years.”
It took Paré and his team two months to complete the set, which was constructed inside of a Vancouver-area hockey arena.
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Image Credit: Netflix The space’s open floor plan was entirely functional. As the Tudum website explains, “When it came to designing the house, Paré wanted the layout to be as open as possible for filming purposes, so he proposed a split-level configuration, which is ‘very cinematic,’ he says, because it allows for a full view of the house from the outside and a full view of the yard from inside.”
Set decorator Elizabeth Wilcox was tasked with outfitting the space with décor, which she acquired online from Craigslist, Etsy and Facebook Marketplace, as well as from local artisans. She also brought in many classic mid-century furnishings, including an Eames lounge chair and ottoman, an Eero Saarinen Tulip dining table and a George Nelson bubble lamp, all three of which are included in The Zoe Report’s list of home décor pieces that have reached cult status.
The result of Paré and Wilcox’s efforts is an interior that is warm, inviting and entirely enviable, as evidenced by the countless mentions of the place currently popping up on social media.
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Image Credit: Eric Christiansen, Bellevue Realty Group As idyllic and realistic as they may have seemed onscreen, the Reeds’ wooded backyard and barn-like garage were also just parts of the massive set – a superb realization of Paré’s vision that only ever existed inside of that Vancouver hockey arena. Don’t believe me? Check out Jennifer Garner’s latest Instagram post, which shows the actress frolicking around the massive blue-screen encircled space with co-star Scobell. It is truly Hollywood magic at its absolute finest!