Code 8: Part II hits Netflix today! The sequel to the hit Canadian sci-fi action thriller Code 8, an Indiegogo-funded passion project that landed in Netflix’s Top 10 most-watched list after hitting the streaming service in 2020, Code 8: Part II builds on the universe introduced in the original.
DGC Ontario Director and co-creator of both Code 8 and Code 8: Part II, Jeff Chan, talks with Wider Lens about reuniting the crew for the sequel, taking a more intimate approach to the superhero genre, navigating the balance between crime thriller and sci-fi, and why he’s so grateful to be able to make his dream project in Ontario. Here’s how Jeff and his team built on the success of the first film and brought the Code 8 universe back to the screen.
“When you have great people who take ownership of a challenge, amazing things can happen.”
-Director Jeff Chan
Code 8 was a proof of concept short created by yourself, Chris Pare, Robbie Amell, and Stephen Amell, and launched a successful Indiegogo campaign. How did Code 8: Part II come about with Netflix as a partner?
Director Jeff Chan: That was exciting because we knew that the film had worked on Netflix before. From the very beginning, we were clear that one of the most important things for us was the ability to make Code 8: Part II on our own terms, the same way we made the first film, and Netflix was a great partner because they let us just run with it creatively. They also let us work with the same crew in Toronto we worked with on the first film, so we were able to bring almost the entire team back together on the second film. The set had that same “friends and family” feel that we had for the first film, and it was great to get the same crew together that I’ve been working with for years. Everyone in front of and behind the camera just takes it so seriously, and we put our hearts and souls into delivering and being there in the moment. Robbie and Stephen Amell (co-stars, Executive Producers and real-life cousins), because they’ve known each other for so long, know which of each other’s buttons to press to get each other to laugh or get angry during takes. And then the second we yell “cut,” everyone just loosens up. We had a great time making this movie.
The world-building was a huge part of Code 8, a story that takes place in an alternate reality where superheroes are a marginalized and discriminated group. How did you build on that unique universe in the sequel?
Jeff Chan: Code 8 has always been about taking a more intimate point of view into the world of superheroes. My writing partner Chris Pare and I, as well as Robbie and Steve, love the big epic superhero movies and all this multiverse, multi-dimensional, time-travel stuff. We’re huge fans. But we always wanted to tell a superhero story that really happens on the street level. So, for Code 8: Part II, we didn’t want to widen the genre as much as we wanted to dig deeper into some of the characters, the storytelling, and the politics of the world. Even though we had more resources, we didn’t want it to become a traditional superhero genre film. Our idea was always to tell a crime thriller with a superhero sci-fi twist – but it should be in the background. Our characters, the stakes and their struggles should be in the foreground. Emotional realism is important to us in this franchise and this story.
“I’m so proud to be a DGC Member and I’m so glad to be able to make this movie in Toronto at home. Someone recently asked me what my dream project would be, and I told them, it’s this – I got to do it!”
-Director Jeff Chan
With a more elevated budget this time around, how did you step up the VFX work in this film without pulling away from the story and characters?
Jeff Chan: When it comes to this world, we don’t do spectacle for spectacle’s sake. We really want to earn our action, especially with the second film, which is much more of a chase thriller. It’s all about building up that tension, so when we deliver on the action, we fulfill our promise to the audience. In terms of how we executed, I certainly can’t take too much credit for it. I’m so grateful for how well the different departments work together. The incredible thing about the Code 8 team is there’s so much trust and communication between all the different departments. The Visual Effects team at Playfight VFX deserves the most credit because they were able to build this photoreal dog that not only moved the right way, but had personality, and at times was very cute and playful, and at other times terrifying. Sophia Jooyeon Lee and Brian Huynh, our VFX Supervisors, spearheaded this and took on the challenge. But the way they executed it required such close collaboration with the Camera and Lighting team and the Art Department. Our Prop Master Mario Moreira built a full-size version of that dog, and we were able to bring it to set and get a perfect reference. We had an incredible stunt team, and they helped to bring that dog to life as well. We also had a person dressed in gray who would go around and play the dog in the scene. So we’d shoot in multiple ways. Sometimes, with effects-heavy movies that have more complicated digital effects sequences, there’ll be friction between departments. But for Code 8: Part II, because everyone has worked together for so long and did the first movie together, that friction just doesn’t exist. It’s much more of a collaboration. My job is to really set everyone up to talk and communicate with each other effectively. When you have great people who take ownership of a challenge, amazing things can happen. We didn’t have a lot of resources, but it didn’t stop the team from creating something that I think is really special.
Did you feel any added pressure to really deliver in the sequel since the original is so well-liked and beloved by fans?
Jeff Chan: I would be lying if I said there wasn’t pressure, anxiety, insecurity, all the things that I think Directors go through with every movie. For us and our production company, Collective Pictures, we really tried to make something that we’re proud of, but we also wanted to make something that people from around the world, if they give us their time, will get a great experience out of. We make projects that we feel have integrity from a quality and a craft perspective. I’m proud of the fact that Code 8 was the number one movie globally and that people in France, Asia, North America, and South America all found something to grab onto with our film, and that matters to us as well. So there’s definitely pressure for us and our filmmaking team, but trying to be the best we can be is part of what drives us.
The cast and crew of Code 8: Part II at the official Canadian premiere at TIFF Bell Lightbox on February 26, 2024. Photo credit: George Pimentel
What was your favourite or especially memorable moment on set?
Jeff Chan: I want to highlight the crew here. There was a day when we were shooting this giant brawl scene that we had built in this lab. We had an amazing Production and Art Department, and they built this incredible giant floor of an apartment building that was a giant action set piece. Our stunt team had come and rehearsed all these little vignettes earlier, and on the day we were supposed to shoot, it was a very complicated day. We were running a bit behind, and I knew that I needed help to get there and get what we needed out of the day. I didn’t have to ask; the crew just stepped up, and everyone hit that extra gear. I think we rolled like 50 setups that day, and at a certain point, I stopped and watched all these people, from Stunts to Camera to Wardrobe, to Lighting and Makeup, and the cast, come together to meet that challenge without even being asked. I remember watching and thinking, I have such a great crew. It’s just a testament to how lucky we are and how grateful we are to have worked with such an amazing team. It’s why I love making movies in Toronto – it was really a pleasure and a privilege to be able to work with the team we had. I’m so proud to be a DGC Member and I’m so glad to be able to make this movie in Toronto at home. Someone recently asked me what my dream project would be, and I told them, it’s this – I got to do it!
Code 8 and Code 8: Part II are now streaming on Netflix.
Click here for a full list of DGC Ontario Members who worked on Code 8: Part II.
