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Preview: Ransom returns for Season 2 with an explosive storyline

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When we last left the Ransom team, Eric Beaumont’s (Luke Roberts) life was in shambles. His arch nemesis, Damien Delaine (Carlo Rota) had taken his daughter Evie (Jenessa Grant) hostage, leaving Eric unsure of what to do next.

Season 2 of Ransom, returning Saturday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Global, picks up with 13 new episodes right after that stunning cliffhanger, with Oliver (Brandon Jay McLaren), Maxine (Sarah Greene) and Zara (Nazneen Contractor) scrambling to help Eric out. Inspired by the professional experiences of real-life crisis negotiator Laurent Combalbert and his partner, Marwan Mery, Ransom‘s storylines travel the globe as the squad helps multinational corporations and governmental agencies with complex negotiations and conflict resolution.

Created by David Vainola and Frank Spotnitz, the Canadian-Hungarian co-production staffs homegrown writers in Alison Lea Bingeman, Sandra Chwialkowska, Lynne Kamm, Steve Cochrane, Kyle Hart, Avrum Jacobson, Tamara Moulin and Vince Shiao.

Here’s what we can tell you about Saturday’s return, “Three Wishes,” written by Frank Spotnitz and directed by James Genn.

Flashback
“Three Wishes” begins by going back almost two decades to show Eric’s origin story and introduce a key character in his life. It’s nice to see Eric at an earlier time and the charm that will make him so successful.

A trio of tasks
As hinted at in the episode title, Delaine forces Eric to complete three challenges in order to win Evie back. Each task forces Eric to make tough choices and make ethically questionable decisions. After seeing Eric in control of situations most of the time, it is interesting to see him in distress and, sometimes, freaking the heck out. A kidnapped daughter will do that to a man. There are a few clunky moments of dialogue to establish the parameters for the main storyline so viewers get just how dire the situation is (no cops, Delaine is dangerous, everyone is scared, keeping to protocol), and I’m not sure they’re necessary. Still, it’s a minor quibble for a genre that does over-explanation all the time.

Carlo Rota is the king
I’ve been a fan of Carlo Rota way back when he hosted The Great Canadian Food Show, through Traders, Queer as Folk and Little Mosque on the Prairie. He’s pitch perfect as Delaine, a man on a mission of revenge and swaggering around telling Eric what to do. You want to punch him in the face but you also understand why he’s going what he is. That’s the mark of great acting. Also, a nod to James Genn who does a bang-up job directing some key scenes between Eric and Delaine.

Ransom airs Saturdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Global.

Image courtesy of Corus Entertainment.

 

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Ransom

Season 2 of Global’s intense original drama Ransom returns April 7

From a media release:

Global raises the stakes this spring as Season 2 of original suspense drama Ransom returns Saturday, April 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT in simulcast with CBS. From Entertainment One (eOne), Korda Studios, Big Light Productions and producers Sienna Films, the 13-episode series returns to the life-and-death world of crisis and hostage negotiator Eric Beaumont (Luke Roberts, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) and his elite team of experts. This season, as they negotiate with top-ranking criminals and delve deep into the world of high-stakes hostage situations, the team members struggle to balance their personal lives in a criminal world that knows no boundaries.

New this season, Karen LeBlanc (Mary Kills People), joins the series as new team member Cynthia Walker, a confident, charming, and clever, corporate lawyer in whom Eric (Roberts) quickly meets his match.

Along with Luke Roberts as hostage negotiator Eric Beaumont, Season 2 also welcomes back Tony Award nominated Sarah Greene (Penny Dreadful), as Maxine Carlson, the young newcomer eager to prove herself; Canadian Brandon Jay McLaren (Graceland), as Oliver Yates, the psychological profiler on the team; Canadian Nazneen Contractor, (Heroes Reborn) as ex-cop Zara Hallam; Emma de Caunes (Mr. Bean’s Holiday) as Nathalie Denard, a sometime client of Crisis Resolution; and Canadian Morgan Kohan (Star Trek: Discovery) joins the cast as Evie Beaumont, Eric’s 15-year-old daughter.

The Season 2 premiere entitled “Three Wishes,” picks up moments after Season 1’s cliffhanger, where Eric’s longtime adversary, Damien Delaine (guest star Carlo Rota, Jane the Virgin), has taken Eric and Nathalie’s (de Caunes) daughter, Evie (Kohan), hostage. Delaine appears at Crisis Resolution and demands that Eric fulfill his ‘3 wishes’ in order to release Evie, threatening to kill her within hours if he doesn’t comply. In a race against time, the team works to fulfill Delaine’s strange demands which include Eric answering a series of emotionally compromising questions and performing ethically questionable tasks. Tensions rise when Damien challenges Eric with a final wish that will force him into making an impossible decision.

Ransom is inspired by the professional experiences of distinguished crisis negotiator Laurent Combalbert, who along with partner, Marwan Mery, are considered to be among the top negotiators in the world. Today, they travel around the globe to help multinational corporations and governmental agencies with complex negotiations and conflict resolution.

Ransom was created by David Vainola (Diamonds, Combat Hospital) and Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files, The Man in the High Castle). Ransom is a Canada-Hungary treaty co-production and is produced by eOne with executive producers Jennifer Kawaja and Julia Sereny via their Sienna Films banner and Spotnitz, via his Big Light Productions banner. Wildcats Productions’ Valérie Pechels and Odile McDonald will executive produce with Daniel Kresmery and György Rajnai of Korda Studios co-producing. Ransom is developed in association with Corus Entertainment Inc., with the participation from the Canada Media Fund, and is produced with the financial assistance of the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit. eOne controls worldwide rights to the series.

 

 

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Industry News

Link: Kew buys Cardinal producer Sienna Films

From Kristin Brzoznowski of World Screen:

Link: Kew buys Cardinal producer Sienna Films
Kew Media Group has acquired the Toronto-based producer Sienna Films, which is behind such scripted hits as Cardinal.

Sienna has a roster of scripted television series that includes Cardinal, which is now in production on seasons two and three and has aired on CTV in Canada, Hulu in the U.S. and BBC4 in the U.K.; Ransom, now in production on season two and has aired on Global Television in Canada and CBS in the U.S.; and Combat Hospital, for Global Television in Canada and ABC in the U.S. There’s also Diamonds, for CBC in Canada and ABC in the U.S. Continue reading.

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Ransom

Global greenlights high stakes drama Ransom for a second season

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From a media release:

Global announced today that original suspense drama Ransom has been green lit for Season 2. From global studio Entertainment One (eOne), Korda Studios, Big Light Productions and producers Sienna Films, Ransom will shoot in Hungary in the coming months and premiere next year on Global in Canada and CBS in the U.S. Additional details to be revealed at a later date.

With a 13-episode order, Season 2 welcomes back Luke Roberts (Black Sails, Wolf Hall, Game of Thrones) as expert hostage negotiator Eric Beaumont in the new season. Beaumont’s team includes Maxine Carlson (Tony Award-nominated Sarah Greene, Penny Dreadful, Burnt) a young newcomer eager to prove herself; Oliver Yates (Brandon Jay McLaren, Graceland, The Killing), a psychological profiler; and ex-cop Zara Hallam (Nazneen Contractor, Heroes Reborn, Covert Affairs).

Season 2 of the series continues to follow crisis and hostage negotiator Eric Beaumont and his team as they save lives when no one else can. Eric understands criminals better than they do, and uses his insight into human behaviour to resolve the most difficult kidnap and ransom cases. Despite the stakes, Eric refuses to resort to violence, even when confronted by some of the most dangerous criminals in the world.

Ransom is inspired by the professional experiences of distinguished crisis negotiator Laurent Combalbert, who, along with his partner, Marwan Mery, are among the top negotiators in the world. They travel the globe to help multinational corporations and governmental agencies with complex negotiations and conflict resolution.

Ransom was created by David Vainola (Diamonds, Combat Hospital) and Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files, The Man in the High Castle). Ransom is a Canada-Hungary treaty co-production and will be produced by eOne with executive producers Jennifer Kawaja and Julia Sereny via their Sienna Films banner and Spotnitz, via his Big Light Productions banner.  Wildcats Productions’ Valerie Pechels and Odile McDonald will executive produce with Daniel Kresmery and György Rajnai of Korda Studios will co-producing. Ransom is developed in association with Corus Entertainment Inc., with the participation from the Canada Media Fund, and will be produced with the financial assistance of the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit.

 

 

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Ransom

Link: Interview: ‘Ransom’ stars Luke Roberts and Nazneen Contractor

From W. Andrew Powell of The Gate:

Link: Interview: ‘Ransom’ stars Luke Roberts and Nazneen Contractor
“It’s always fun to work with something that actually happened, or work or play a character that truly exists, and is actively working, so that always adds an authenticity and a sense of responsibility. Every episode has its own story and its own charm, and we’re very lucky as a cast, we really got on with each other, pretty much instantly.” Continue reading.

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