A follow-up to ‘Mare of Easttown’ is filming in Delco

Mare of Easttown fans, rejoice.

While Kate Winslet has cast doubt on a return of Delco’s favorite homicide detective, the creator behind the Emmy-winning HBO limited series is revisiting the Philadelphia suburbs to shoot a follow-up crime show.

The series, Task, is filming in Ridley Township over the weekend, according to an official in the Delaware County community.

The entertainment outlet Variety reported last year that Task comes from Mare creator Brad Ingelsby, a Berwyn-raised screenwriter and producer. Ingelsby signed a three-year deal with HBO after Mare’s breakout success in 2021.

Mark Ruffalo will have a leading role in Task, according to Variety, and South Philadelphia native Jeremiah Zagar is directing.

The series follows a “a task force of law enforcement officers and the criminals they are trying to apprehend,” the outlet reported. The Poor Things star told Deadline in January that he plays a “complicated” good guy who heads an investigation unit.

“He’s badly damaged but fighting for good,” Ruffalo told Deadline.

Task films through August, and the hunt for local talent is underway.

Jason Loftus, a casting director and partner with the Philadelphia-based Heery Loftus company, told The Inquirer that his agency is partnered with Task production to fill both speaking and background roles.

Heery Loftus cast over 80 roles on Mare, Loftus said. The agency’s credits include M. Knight Shyamalan’s A Knock at the Cabin, the Creed films, Silver Linings Playbook, and more.

Casting calls posted on Heery Loftus’ Instagram show that Task producers are looking to fill a variety of paid roles; those include a set of twins, members of the Dominican community, and a real-life courtroom sketch artist.

Philadelphia — and Pennsylvania in general — has grown into a popular destination for film and television productions in part thanks to the state’s generous tax incentives, according to Loftus. Pennsylvania offers productions up to a 30% tax credit on in-state expenditures, including essentials such as car rentals and materials for set building.

Loftus added that the Philadelphia region is particularly attractive for its architecture, diversity, and varied geography.

“We can look like New York if you’re in Center City, then you go a couple miles into our suburbs, and you could be on a farm,” Loftus said.

Joseph Ryan, Ridley’s manager, said Task’s production was “good for the township.” Filming for Mare occurred near Ridley, but outside of the township’s limits, he said.

Loftus didn’t confirm where else Task would shoot, mentioning that too many bystanders gathering near set can hinder production.

“[With] some of the people that are in it, they try to be a little incognito,” Loftus said.

Could viewers get a return of Winslet’s Mare?

It’s possible, according to Ruffalo.

“At some point those two might run into each other in the future, that’s what they’re saying,” the actor told Deadline of his and Winslet’s characters. “It’s not set, nothing’s set.”