Cassandra Szklarski, THE CANADIAN PRESS

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TORONTO - British director Edgar Wright takes over a downtown repertory theatre this weekend to present two of his favourite films with cinematographer Bill Pope.

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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Max Nash

Nick Frost, left, arrives with Simon Pegg, center, and the director Edgar Wright, right, for the world premiere of their latest film , Hot Fuzz, in London's Leicester Square Tuesday Feb. 13, 2007.

The shaggy-haired auteur of the indie hits "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz," has been in the city for the past four months shooting "Scott Pilgrim Versus the World" with Michael Cera.

But he puts the spotlight on some of his more obscure cinematic influences in the next instalment of a screening series he calls The Wright Stuff at the Bloor Cinema.

He mounted a similar showcase in Los Angeles about two years ago and the Bloor's programmer says Wright leapt at the chance to repeat the event in Toronto.

Peter Kuplowsky says he noticed Wright standing in line outside the theatre about six months ago, waiting to see "Evil Dead."

"Immediately he started talking about how he ran a (movie) series in Los Angeles at the New Beverly Cinema called The Wright Stuff," says Kuplowsky.

Wright was the one who suggested curating such a show in Toronto.

"I don't believe I even had to ask if he wanted to do it here, he was immediately excited," said Kuplowsky.

Back in February, U.S. director Kevin Smith hosted a three-night festival of his films at the Bloor.

Wright's series began in late February with a double bill of his comedy hits, "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz." They later included a Canuck-themed theme featuring Don McKellar's "Last Night" and David Cronenberg's "The Brood."

In a blog post, Wright called them "two of my very favorite Canadians films."

"David Cronenberg is the King Of Canada as far as I'm concerned. I was watching his films and seeing Toronto on screen, before I even knew where it was," he says.

"Cronenberg also appears in 'Last Night,' an outstanding film about the apocalypse by the great Don McKellar. This bleak gem is one of the films that influenced 'Shaun of the Dead,' so I'm very happy to present it at the Bloor."

Kuplowsky says Wright has been generous with his time and open with fans.

"In the past we've had celebrities at the Bloor where we'd go, 'OK we'll get a taxi to come up behind the theatre, there's a back door, you can leave through the back door.' He always left through the front and he would bring his cast to the show from the movie, like Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead."

Sunday's screening will feature Wright in conversation with "Pilgrim" cinematographer Pope, who also worked on "Darkman," "The Matrix Trilogy," and the "Spider-Man" sequels. The double bill features Pope's work in Sam Raimi's "Army of Darkness" and the Trey Parker/Matt Stone satire "Team America: World Police."

"Pilgrim" is based on the popular graphic novel series about a Canadian slacker who woos a girl while battling her seven evil ex-boyfriends.

Author Bryan Lee O'Malley set the action in such iconic Toronto locales as Sneaky Dee's, Honest Ed's, and Lee's Palace. "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World" is expected to hit theatres next year.