Chicago’s southwest suburb of Blue Island had an exciting day of filmmaking when the TV series Lightyears starring Sissy Spacek and J.K. Simmons (Spider-man, Spider-man: Far From Home, Zack Snyder’s Justice League) filmed on location at a home near 127th and Western, and at the Blue Island Police Station.
Reel photographer, Sandra Plaza-Javier, captured the crew while they were using a camera dolly and a crane as they filmed Sissy Spacek in a scene.
Lightyears follows Franklin (Simmons) and Irene York (Sissy Spacek), a couple who years ago discovered a chamber buried in their backyard that inexplicably leads to a strange, deserted planet. They’ve carefully guarded their secret ever since, but when an enigmatic young man enters their lives, the Yorks’ quiet existence is quickly upended… and the mysterious chamber they thought they knew so well turns out to be much more than they could ever have imagined.
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Sissy Spacek, following her Oscar-nominated performance in Carrie, has had an enduring and award-winning career in movies and television, which includes an Oscar as Best Actress for Coal Miner’s Daughter. She returned to the big screen in a major way with a powerful performance in In the Bedroom, which not only earned her a sixth Best Actress Oscar nomination, but a win for Best Actress at the Golden Globes, Independent Spirit Awards, and numerous critics association awards.
J.K. Simmons is a highly acclaimed actor on both the big and small screen. He won an Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA Award in 2015 for Whiplash, with his other films including Spider-Man, Juno, La La Land, and Thank You for Smoking. His TV credits include Oz and Counterpart, and he lent his voice to shows such as The Legend of Korra and Amazon’s Invincible, which was recently renewed for two more seasons.
The sci-fi drama Lightyears, filmed at Cinespace Chicago Film Studios, is a co-production of Amazon Studios and Legendary Television. The series is written and co-executive produced by Holden Miller, with Daniel C. Connolly serving as showrunner and executive producer, and Mosaic’s Jimmy Miller and Sam Hansen serving as executive producers. Argentinian director Juan José Campanella will direct and executive produce the first two episodes.
UPDATE: Lightyears was renamed Night Sky before it was released.
