Todd & The Book of Pure Evil in production for Space

From a media release:

Production Begins on TODD & THE BOOK OF PURE EVIL

• A New Original Television Series for SPACE

Aircraft Pictures, Corvid Pictures, and Frantic Films in association with SPACE are pleased to announce production has begun on SPACE’s newest original series. Todd & The Book Of Pure Evil will be shot over ten weeks on location in Winnipeg. The result will be a 13-episode, half-hour supernatural comedy that brings the age-old phrase “high school is hell” to life.

“Getting to make this series is proof that The Book Of Pure Evil is real and actually works!” says co-creator Craig David Wallace, “We’re super excited that SPACE is supporting our belief that ‘80s flavoured Heavy Metal and Black Magic are back, and more evil than ever.”

Todd & The Book Of Pure Evil is based on the short film of the same title written by Craig David Wallace and Max Reid, and directed by Wallace. The short film was produced through the Canadian Film Centre’s Short Dramatic Film Programme, and kicked off an international festival tour by premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2003. A pilot for Todd & The Book Of Pure Evil was shot for SPACE last winter in Winnipeg.

ABOUT THE SERIES:

Imagine, if you will, a book of awesome power. A book that will make your deepest, darkest dreams come true… but at a horrifying cost. This is The Book Of Pure Evil, and it’s loose in Crowley High. Anyone who possesses it is unable to resist the temptation to use its power for their own teen-angst fueled desires. Thankfully, one horny teenager stands between The Book Of Pure Evil and the end of the world as we know it. His name is Todd. He’s flunking math, but he’ll save our asses, whether he likes it or not.

ABOUT THE CAST:

Alex House, who plays teen metal-head Todd, played the lead role on the YTV series Dark Oracle and guest starred on many shows including Corner Gas and Degrassi: The Next Generation. Alex is a film fanatic, particularly of Korean cinema, and enjoys riding his bike in downtown Toronto and watching cartoons with his younger brother.

Maggie Castle plays Jenny, a no-nonsense kind of girl who doesn’t take crap from anyone, including Todd who has a major crush on her. Since she began acting at the age of five, Maggie has garnered more than 30 professional credits to her name. She has worked with some of the biggest names in film including Bruce Willis, Richard Gere, and alongside Rachel McAdams in The Time Traveler’s Wife.

Todd’s best friend is Curtis, played by Bill Turnbull. Bill’s most recent appearances include a recurring role on The Jon Dore Television Show, and guest spots on Being Erica and The Best Years. When he’s not acting, Bill enjoys playing drums and occasionally performing live with his band in Toronto.

Rounding out ‘the gang’ is reckless science nerd Hannah, played by Melanie Leishman. She played a lead role in The Comedy Network series House Party, and can be seen in Victoria Day, which was nominated for Grand Jury Prize at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Melanie’s other interests include ballet and cycling.

Chris Leavins plays Crowley High’s creepy guidance counselor Atticus Murphy Jr. Chris is a two-time Gemini nominee, most recently recognized for his role in the series Slings and Arrows. He is the creator of the wildly popular satirical website Cute With Chris, which gets millions of hits and is often featured on YouTube’s home page. His new podcast The Chris Leavins Story Hour is performed in front of a live audience in Toronto and Los Angeles, and recently topped the Canadian iTunes chart.

Jason Mewes plays Crowley High’s janitor Jimmy. Jason once worked at a video store with Kevin Smith, where he unknowingly became the muse for Kevin’s film Clerks. With Jason in the role of Jay, Clerks was hailed at festivals worldwide and became a cult classic. Jason played in Smith’s next two films Mallrats and Chasing Amy, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and most recently in Zak & Miri Make a Porno, and action-comedy Shoot the Hero.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION:

Todd & The Book Of Pure Evil was created for television by Anthony Leo, Charles Picco, and Craig David Wallace. Executive producers are Craig David Wallace of Corvid Pictures, Jamie Brown of Frantic Films, and Anthony Leo and Andrew Rosen of Aircraft Pictures. Leo and Rosen also produce with Shawn Watson of Frantic Films.

Three over-caffeinated writers contributed to the 13 hysterical stories that make up the series. They are Craig David Wallace, Charles Picco and Garry Campbell. The series is directed by James Dunnison (who directed the pilot), James Genn, Craig David Wallace and David Winning.

First developed for television through the National Screen Institute’s Totally Television programme, Todd & The Book Of Pure Evil was developed by SPACE with the assistance of the Canadian Television Fund.