karlurban/Instagram/Amazon Prime The creators of Amazon Prime’s The Boys had to cancel filming a particular scene after it was deemed too ‘disrespectful’.
The popular series recently finished filming for its second season, which is set to hit the streaming platform in summer 2020.
The Boys follows a group of vigilantes who set out to take down corrupt, violent superheroes who abuse their powers, and as such it’s full of brutal and dramatic action.
In case you missed it, here’s the trailer:
While the show certainly pushes the boundaries, the use of dark storylines obviously paid off with the first series becoming one of Amazon Prime’s most binged shows within just two weeks of airing.
Series two will likely follow a similar theme, though creators were forced to draw the line with one scene, cancelling it during production in Toronto, Canada.
The Boys was scheduled to film in Mel Lastman Square in Toronto earlier this month for a scene that was allegedly set to involve one of the Seven attacking a crowd of people.
Amazon PrimeThere was expected to be 450 extras filling out the crowd and the onscreen attack would reportedly result in people screaming and running away from the bloodshed.
However, Toronto councillor John Filion heard about the scene and was not happy about what it entailed. The councillor likened the scene to a 2018 van attack, when 10 people died and 16 others were injured as a driver pulled his van onto a pavement in the city and ploughed into the pedestrians.
In an interview with the Toronto Sun, Filion recalled his reaction when he heard about the scene, saying:
I flipped out. There are people who work in this building, who went out onto Yonge St. to try to help the van attack victims — many of them are still traumatized. And think about the families and loved ones of those victims.
PA ImagesThe councillor explained he ‘made some phone calls’ to ensure the scene wouldn’t go ahead.
During the interview, Filion was asked whether he had been worried about the residents being confused by the filming of the scene, but he made clear he was simply concerned about people re-living the tragic events.
He explained:
It’s disrespectful to even think of it. Even if nobody had seen anything, it’s still disrespectful. I guess somebody just wasn’t thinking.
Amazon PrimeAccording to a statement from City of Toronto spokesperson Brad Ross, there were also complaints from residents about the planned TV shoot.
It’s unclear how the creators of the show worked around the scene after it was cancelled but hopefully they’ve come up with an alternative storyline.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.