Toronto hopes for tourism boost from “Scott Pilgrim”

TORONTO — Tourism officials are hoping Michael Cera’s upcoming comedy “Scott Pilgrim vs.

TORONTO — Tourism officials are hoping Michael Cera’s upcoming comedy “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” will do for Toronto what “Twilight” has done for Forks, Wash., and “Sex and the City” has done for New York.

Federal, provincial and municipal tourism agencies have teamed up with Universal Pictures to promote the new film, which is set in Toronto and features local hallmarks including Lee’s Palace, Casa Loma and the TTC.

They’ve launched a website, http://www.seetorontonow.com/scottpilgrim/index.asp, that features a video podcast of Cera and co-stars Alison Pill and Jason Schwartzman talking about the city. There’s also a contest offering the chance to win a “Scott Pilgrim”-themed travel package.

The initiative follows an explosion of tourists that have converged on the tiny town of Forks, where Stephenie Meyer’s vampire book series is set, and the kitschy New York City bus tours that take fans to bars and stores featured in “Sex In the City”‘s TV episodes and movies.

“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” is based on the comic book series by former Toronto resident Bryan Lee O’Malley and centres on a slacker’s quest to win the girl of his dreams.

The film opens nationwide Aug. 13.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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