HBO's upcoming crime drama "Task," filmed in parts of Northwest Philadelphia’s Wissahickon Valley Park, brought a flurry of production activity to the beloved green space – in addition to the Oscar-nominated actor Mark Ruffalo.

Production crews for the series, a spinoff of the acclaimed "Mare of Easttown," have been busy both building and disassembling various new structures in the park.

That temporary staircase that was built near Kitchen's Lane? Already gone. According to Friends of the Wissahickon Executive Director Ruffian Tittmann, that’s just how it goes. The bathroom constructed for the as yet to be named Apple TV show that was shot in the park last spring is a memory as well.

"Everything the crews create in the park is temporary," Tittmann said. "The permits allow them to make some temporary features that will be used in their films and television shows but they are required to take them down when the production has been completed. Nothing can be left. They must leave the area the way they found it."

The scouting of locations for "Task," started in May. Sites were prepped the week of July 8 and filming started the week of July 22. 

Ruffalo portrays an FBI agent leading an investigation into a series of drug-house robberies. 

"I didn't meet Mark Ruffalo but I did meet the location scout and those setting up for the film," Tittmann said. "I understand why they were very excited to film here since it's so beautiful."

The first season of the series, "Mare of Easttown," starred Academy Award winner Kate Winslet. Both seasons are crime dramas, both were created and produced by Berwyn native Brad Ingelsby, and both were shot in the Wissahickon.

"Mare,” which premiered in 2021 and aired for one season, features Winslet as a beleaguered suburban Philadelphia police detective who investigates the murder of a teenage mother while trying to keep her tumultuous life together.

The production shot at multiple locations in the Wissahickon with production vehicles, structures and personnel. The crew was on site at the Kitchen's Lane entrance to the park until July 25. That same day filming took place near the Thomas Mill Covered Bridge. Scenes were shot July 25 and 26 on Forbidden Drive. The crew filmed on Wises Mill Road July 29 and is scheduled to be off of Glengarry Road on August 1. The production will wrap on August 5. 

There is no word on when HBO will premiere "Task."

HBO appreciated the use of the park and expressed their gratitude via a healthy contribution to Friends of the Wissahickon.

"We received a very generous donation," Tittmann said. "Film productions often are kind enough to make a donation when they finish filming and we're very fortunate. But we understand why they come in to shoot."

A number of notable productions have chosen the Wissahickon as the setting of scenes. One of the most underrated films of the 1980s introduced Hollywood to the Wissahickon. "Blow Out,"  a gripping neo-noir political thriller released in 1981, features John Travolta as a sound effects artist, who while recording sounds of traffic along Lincoln Drive witnesses a suspicious car accident. A presidential hopeful in the automobile with the blow out drowns in the Wissahickon Creek. Philadelphia staples, such as 30th Street Station, the Liberty Bell and the Wissahickon made for a great background. Director Brian De Palma raved about shooting at those locations.

One of the few reasons to catch the forgettable "Mannequin 2: On the Move" is a sword fight on the Wissahickon's Rex Avenue Bridge. Otherwise the "Mannequin" sequel, which hit screens in 1991, is just one of many wacky, disjointed romantic comedies.

Acclaimed Philadelphia-based director, M. Night Shyamalan of "The Sixth Sense" fame, utilized Wissahickon Valley Park when he shot 2010's "The Last Airbender.” The entertaining film, which is based on the animated series, also features a dramatic scene filmed on the Rex Avenue Bridge.

There's no word on future productions in Wissahickon park. "There's nothing concrete," Tittmann said. "But we're looking forward to what will be shot in the park in the future. There is growing interest in filming here. It's a great landscape to shoot in. The Wissahickon is often a stand-in for another location, such as the Poconos or a forest somewhere."

Perhaps the bizarre story of a serial “squatter” roommate who agitated a Chestnut Hill woman will find its way to the Wissahickon. A film based on the story of Alex Miller, who rented a room in her Chestnut Hill home to a disturbed individual, Elkins Park native Jamison Bachman, in 2017, is in the works.

That project, which is led by Paul Feig, who directed "Bridesmaids" and the coming of age series, "Freaks and Geeks" and is producing the project.