Yes, that was Laurence Fishburne

If you thought you saw Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix, Contagion, Man of Steel), you weren't hallucinating.

He has been in the Sault filming Standoff, a thriller about a little girl named Bird who witnesses an assasination while visiting her parents' grave.

After running from the assassin Sade (Fishburne), she encounters Carter (Thomas Jane - The Sweetest Thing, Deep Blue Sea), a former special forces officer, whose family has unravelled after the loss of his son.

"Carter tries to keep Bird safe from [Sade], and she becomes his reason for living," explained Lee Clay, producer of Standoff.

"We decided to shoot in Northern Ontario after receiving funding from the NOHFC. We just happened to find a location here in Sault Ste Marie that we really loved," said Clay. "We have a number of wide establishing shots that show the terrain and the beautiful fall colours. We're shooting up in the Echo Bay area, and we definitely captured the isolated nature that we wanted for the film."

Fishburne has been spotted all around the community at places like Rome's, Bulk Barn and Gliss restaurant, to name a few.

He may be in town playing a bad guy, but he has been described as 'down to earth' and 'kind' by locals who have encountered him.

Kristi Turner, owner of Gliss restaurant, had the chance to talk with him while he dined at her restaurant one evening.

"He was very courteous, respectful and pleasant to be around. Anyone that went up and introduced themselves to him he was very polite and not snobbish at all," said Turner. "He had dinner here and raved about the food."

"Everyone has enjoyed being here a lot. The community has provided a tremendous level of hospitality and people have been very friendly," said Clay.

Filming was expected to have wrapped up Thursday morning.

Clay hopes to film a future project in Northern Ontario as well, set to include Catherine O'Hara, so you're likely to see some more big names around town.