TV, eh? | What's up in Canadian television | Page 2087
TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television

The Hot Zone (previously known as Combat Hospital) begins production

From a media release:

GLOBAL’S ORIGINAL DRAMA SERIES THE HOT ZONE BEGINS PRODUCTION

  • International Ensemble Cast Includes Elias Koteas (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Michelle Borth (Hawaii Five-0), Luke Mably (The Gates), Deborah Kara Unger (The Hurricane), Terry Chen (Sanctuary) and Arnold Pinnock (The Listener)
  • New Medical Drama to Premiere on Global and ABC this Summer

Shaw Media announced that production on Global Television’s gritty, new, medical drama The Hot Zone (working title, formerly known as Combat Hospital) has begun. Commissioned by Global’s original content team and recently picked up by ABC, the 13 x 1 hour-episode series will be shot in Toronto until July 2011. Broadcast details will be revealed at a later date.

The Hot Zone is a fictional medical procedural set in 2006 at the only military hospital providing advanced surgical care in all of Southern Afghanistan. The series charts the frantic lives of the hospital’s resident doctors and nurses from Canada, America, the U.K. and other allied countries. This highly-charged series follows the characters as they navigate their way through the relentless life-and-death battles on the operating table, and the never-ending conflicts that arise from working in a war zone military hospital.

The Hot Zone features a diverse ensemble cast including: Elias Koteas (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) as Colonel Marks; Michelle Borth (Hawaii Five-0) as Canadian surgeon Dr. Rebecca Gordon; Luke Mably (The Gates) as neurosurgeon Dr. Simon Hill; Deborah Kara Unger (The Hurricane) as Australian army psychiatrist Major Ada Pedersen; Terry Chen (Sanctuary) as trauma team leader Captain Bobby Trang; and Arnold Pinnock (The Listener) as Commander Will Royal, Chief of Nursing.

The series is being shot on an expansive 17,187-square metre (185,000 sq. ft) indoor and outdoor set recently constructed in Toronto. It is one of the largest standing sets ever built for a Canadian original production and is modelled after the real Canadian-lead NATO Role 3 Hospital at Kandahar Airfield. The set is a meticulous re-creation of a portion of the hospital compound and the vast Kandahar Airfield, including the helicopter landing zone, boardwalk area and barracks, which housed over 15,000 military and civilian personnel.

The Hot Zone is a production from Canada’s Sienna Films and the U.K.’s Artists Studio. Academy Award®-nominated Daniel Petrie Jr. (Beverly Hills Cop) is the executive producer and showrunner. Executive producers are Jennifer Kawaja and Julia Sereny for Sienna Films (The Cry of the Owl, Diamonds, How She Move); Gub Neal, Justin Thomson-Glover and Patrick Irwin for U.K.-based Artists Studio (The Last Enemy); as well as Simon Vaughan of Lookout Point. The Hot Zone was created by Jinder Oujla-Chalmers (Ralph Klein – No Ordinary Man) and Douglas Steinberg (Boston Public).

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Jann Arden and Vanilla Ice among Canada Sings judges

From a media release:

JANN ARDEN, PIERRE BOUVIER AND VANILLA ICE ANNOUNCED AS CELEBRITY JUDGES FOR CANADA SINGS

  • Plus, ET Canada’s Hollywood Correspondent Matte Babel to Host Global’s Original Six-Part Series That Transforms Workmates to Castmates

smallGlobal announced today that Jann Arden, Simple Plan’s Pierre Bouvier and Rob Van Winkle a.k.a. Vanilla Ice will lead the all-important judging panel for the network’s new original series, Canada Sings.

These three well respected and extremely talented judges are the perfect addition to a breakout series that taps into Canada’s rich and diverse talent pool. But unlike most typical talent searches, Canada Sings focused its efforts on something truly original and definitely unusual: the workplace. The result will be the most remarkable and engaging competition ever seen on TV in which 12 workplace glee clubs first try to gel as performers and then try to out dance, out manoeuvre and literally out sing the other teams for a chance to shine on a national stage.

Continue reading Jann Arden and Vanilla Ice among Canada Sings judges

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XIII premieres April 20 on Showcase

From a media release:

ONE MAN’S MEMORY HAS NEVER BEEN SO EXPLOSIVE

  • Stuart Townsend headlines the all-new Canadian Original series XIII
  • Premieres Wednesday, April 20 at 10pm ET/PT on Showcase

smallThis spring Showcase entices viewers into the ultimate conspiracy theory with the new drama series XIII, starring Stuart Townsend (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Queen of the Damned). The all-new suspense thriller centres on XIII (Townsend), a skilled and lethal former secret agent who can’t remember his past and sets out on a quest to uncover his true identity. XIII premieres Wednesday, April 20 at 10 p.m. ET/PT exclusively on Showcase.

Hunted by a dark anti-government organization, XIII quickly realizes that the closer he gets to uncovering the riddle of his past life, the more complex and deadly his mission becomes. Alongside Townsend, XIII stars Aisha Tyler (24, CSI, Friends) as Jones, a top CIA operator, Virginie Ledoyen (The Beach) as Irina, a mercenary hired by the former U.S. President to track XIII, and Caterina Murino (Casino Royale) as Sam, XIII’s trustworthy ally and love interest. The cast is rounded out by Greg Bryk (Saw V, Cra$h & Burn) as Amos, a national security officer, Stephen McHattie (Happy Town, 2012) as President Carrington and Ted Atherton (The Border) as Wally Sheridan, the former U.S. President and a possible traitor. Tom Berenger (Inception, Training Day) guest stars as Gerhardt, a mysterious European industrialist who wields power from the shadows.

XIII was developed and produced by Prodigy Pictures and French production company, Euopacorp Television, the television division of Luc Besson’s Europacorp (La Femme Nikita). In addition to airing in Canada on Showcase, the series will air on Canal Plus in France.

The creative forces behind XIII include Prodigy Pictures’ Jay Firestone, Executive Producer, along with Cipango’s Edouard De Vésinne and Thomas Anargyros. Frederic Bruneel co-produced the series. Gil Grant (NCIS: Los Angeles, 24) wrote the pilot and is the series’ Showrunner and Executive Producer. Peter Mohan (Lost Girl, The Bridge) is the Co-Executive Producer for the series along with Damien Couvreur. The series is produced by Wanda Chaffey.

XIII is based on Jean Van Hamme’s popular graphic novel of the same name, which has sold more than 13 million copies worldwide since the first volume was published 25 years ago. Filmed in Toronto, the series features 13 one-hour episodes of high-octane action.

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