From a media release:
MOVIE CENTRAL AND THE MOVIE NETWORK GREENLIGHT SEVEN NEW ORIGINAL PRODUCTIONS
Corus Entertainment’s Movie Central (Western Canada) and Astral Media’s The Movie Network (Eastern Canada) today announced that seven new Canadian original projects have been greenlit for production. Featuring some of Canada’s top creative talent, this new slate includes original series Bloodletting, Phantom, The Pillars of the Earth, Living In Your Car, Meet Phil Fitz, Durham County and the made for television movie Fakers.
Bloodletting, an eight-part drama series based on Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures, the Scotiabank Giller Award-winning best-seller by Vincent Lam, will begin production on June 29 in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario. With the directing talents of Rachel Talalay (Terminal City, Kyle XY), Kari Skogland (The Stone Angel, Terminal City) and Erik Canuel (Flashpoint, Bon Cop Bad Cop), the series will debut on Movie Central and The Movie Network in early 2010.
Fakers, an original pay TV movie from the producers and director of Last Casino starts production on June 20 in Montreal. This provocative story of teen counterfeiters stars Greyston Holt (Durham County), Andrew Francis (L Word, X-Men Evolution) and Alexia Fast (Flashpoint, The 4400) will premiere on Movie Central and The Movie Network in Spring 2010.
Phantom, a four-hour, action-packed, dramatic mini-series, began principal photography this past April in Montreal. This updated and urban reimagining of the 1936 Lee Falk classic comic strip character includes second unit filming in New York City and Costa Rica and stars Ryan Carnes (Desperate Housewives), Sandrine Holt (24), Cameron Goodman (Mad Men) and Isabella Rossellini (Alias). A co-production with SCI FI Channel in the U.S, Phantom will debut on Movie Central and The Movie Network in spring 2010.
Also in pre-production with Muse Entertainment, Tandem Communications and Scott Free Films is The Pillars of the Earth, an eight-part limited drama series based on Ken Follett’s bestselling novel of the same name. This epic has a stellar international cast, including Donald Sutherland (Dirty Sexy Money) and Ian McShane (Deadwood, Kings), and will premiere in spring 2010 on Movie Central and The Movie Network.
The Nightingale Company, with creative talents behind The Line and This is Wonderland: Order of Canada recipient George F. Walker, Dani Romain and Joseph Kay return with a new half-hour comedy series Living In Your Car. Set to begin filming in September and scheduled to debut in 2010, Living In Your Car will also feature the talents of Winnipeg native David Steinberg (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld) as Creative Consultant and Lead Director.
Movie Central and The Movie Network are also behind the edgy half-hour comedy series Meet Phil Fitz from Halifax creator and executive producer, Sheri Elwood (Defying Gravity), producers Mike Souther and Teza Lawrence of Amaze Film + Television, E1 Television and David MacLeod of Big Motion Pictures. This 13-episode series is set to shoot in partnership with Film Nova Scotia in the early fall and will premiere in 2010.
The Gemini Award-winning series Durham County starring Hugh Dillon (Flashpoint) also goes into production in fall 2009 for a third season. Durham County (season 2) premieres on July 13, 2009 on Movie Central and The Movie Network.
“Pay TV provides the creative environment that enables us to work with some of the most talented teams in Canada’s production industry,†said Erica Benson, Vice President, Programming, Movie Central. “With these partnerships, pay TV is able to offer home-grown world-class drama series on par with the likes of HBO and Showtime, including the return of the visually stunning and critically acclaimed series Durham County.â€Â
