July 31, 2026
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
HBO's 'Task' will film scenes at Wissahickon Valley Park for Season 2 of the series from Aug. 3-7. Above, the Valley Green Road crossing over the Wissahickon Creek.
Production crews for HBO's "Task" are returning to Wissahickon Valley Park next week to film scenes for the second season of Brad Ingelsby's hit crime drama.
Friends of the Wissahickon, the nonprofit that maintains the 2,000-acre park, posted a notice Friday morning that "Task" crews will be filming from Monday, Aug. 3, to Friday, Aug. 7. The park in Northwest Philly was the backdrop of some of the most intense action in the show's first season.
This time around, scenes are planned along parts of Forbidden Drive, the 5.3-mile-long scenic trail that winds along the creek past the historic Valley Green Inn and other landmarks. Forbidden Trail will remain open to the public during filming, but other areas of the park will have temporary closures.
On Aug. 3, the Bells Mill West Lot will be closed to parking. It will reopen the following day. Park visitors can use the Bells Mill East Lot.
On Aug. 4 and Aug. 5, the trail entrance at Manatawna Avenue will be inaccessible. Visitors can access Houston Meadow using the Houston Playground entrance or by following the Yellow Trail.
Forbidden Drive will have signs posted noting where production equipment is stationed and where trail users should slow down. Visitors can reference an interactive map to navigate the park.
Since filming started in early July for the second season of "Task," production crews have spent time in Manayunk and the Drexel Hill neighborhood of Upper Darby Township in Delaware County.
Communities in southeastern Pennsylvania can expect "Task" to have a regular presence in the region over the coming months. The series received $49.8 million in tax credits from the Pennsylvania Film Office — the largest credit the state has ever given to a single production — to shoot entirely in southeastern Pennsylvania.
In Season 2, Mark Ruffalo returns as FBI agent Tom Brandis. He will star opposite newcomer Mahershala Ali, who's set to play Philadelphia-based DEA agent Eddie Barnes. Few details are known about the premise for the new season, but Brandis' task force is expected to come into conflict with Barnes' unit.
Casting for Season 2 has continued to take shape over the past month. Julianne Nicholson, who played the Emmy-winning role of Lori Ross in "Mare of Easttown," will reprise her role from that show in Season 2 of "Task" in what's expected to be a crossover between the series.
This week, Deadline reported Martha Plimpton, who played Brandis' boss, FBI Supervisory Senior Resident in Charge Kathleen McGinty, will return for Season 2. Brandis' adoptive daughter Emily, played by Silvia Dionicio, also is set to return. Plimpton's character figured prominently in Season 1's wooded shootout scene, parts of which were filmed at Wissahickon Valley Park.
Other cast members announced for Season 2 include Edgar Ramirez ("Carlos"), Harry Melling ("The Queen's Gambit" and "Harry Potter" films) and Aminah Nieves ("1923"). Heery Loftus Casting has also put out several casting calls for background actors.
The first season of "Task" earned six Emmy nominations this month. Ruffalo is nominated for outstanding lead actor in a drama series, Tom Pelphrey is nominated for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series and Ingelsby is nominated for outstanding writing for a drama series for the season finale. The show also received nominations for outstanding directing, editing and cinematography.
