Thursday, August 05, 2021

BETTER THAN THE CURRENT NAME
Petition to name downtown Edmonton park 'Nathan Fillion Civilian Pavillion' gains star support

Author of the article:Postmedia News
Publishing date:Aug 04, 2021 • 

Edmonton born and raised Nathan Fillion stars in The Rookie, to be seen on ABC and CTV in October 2018. PHOTO BY SUPPLIED /Postmedia

Is this real?” Hollywood star Idris Elba asks rhetorically of a petition to name a future downtown Edmonton park after actor Nathan Fillion.

Yes, it is. And now Hollywood has cast its bright spotlight our way.

Radio show host Lauren Hunter of Sonic 102.9 created the petition two years ago after the city moved forward with plans to create a 1.25-hectare park out of parking lots north of Jasper Avenue between 106 and 108 Streets.

Now, more than 18,000 people have signed the online plea to name the park the Nathan Fillion Civilian Pavillion. It’s temporarily labelled the Warehouse Campus Neighborhood Central Park by the city.

Fillion, 50, is a native of Edmonton who has starred in U.S. television shows including The Rookie, Castle and Firefly (as well as the latter’s related Serenity movie). He is among the ensemble cast of the latest Suicide Squad film, which is slated to open in Canadian theatres Aug. 6.

A video featuring his Suicide Squad co-stars on support for the petition was posted to YouTube yesterday.

“I 100 per cent support this … completely,” Margot Robbie, who plays Harley Quinn in the DC Universe film, says in the video while chuckling. “I really, really hope you succeed in this mission, Edmonton.”

“There needs to be a Nathan Fillion Civilian Pavillion somewhere,” director James Gunn says, perhaps half-jokingly. “And if it exists in Edmonton, it’s far enough away that it doesn’t have to be too close to my house.”

“I’m so in support of this,” says actor David Dastmalchian, who plays Polka-Dot Man. “I want to go and have a picnic and a barbecue and celebrate at the Nathan Fillion Civilian Pavillion.”

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