CTV and Super Écran Light up the North as Production Begins in Sudbury, Ont. on the New Serialized Drama CARDINAL

CTV and Super Écran Light up the North as Production Begins in Sudbury, Ont. on the New Serialized Drama CARDINAL

- Six episodes are being shot in Sudbury, Ont., North Bay, Ont., and Toronto -
- Supporting cast joining series leads Billy Campbell and Karine Vanasse announced -
- CARDINAL will premiere as part of CTV & Super Écran's 2016/17 schedule -

To tweet this release: http://bmpr.ca/1SKnqaf

TORONTO and MONTRÉAL, Feb. 11, 2016 /CNW/ - CTV and Super Écran, alongside producers Sienna Films and Entertainment One (eOne), announced today that production has begun on CARDINAL, the networks new serialized, six-part, one-hour drama featuring Golden Globe(®) nominee Billy Campbell (THE KILLING) and the multiple Genie Award-winning actress Karine Vanasse (REVENGE) as series leads. Directed by the award-winning Montréal native Daniel Grou aka Podz (19-2, MINUIT LE SOIR) the cinematic murder mystery begins shooting in Sudbury, Ont., today. The series will also shoot in North Bay, Ont., Atikameksheng Anishnawbek in northern Ontario, and Toronto. CARDINAL is a gripping, character driven drama set to premiere as part of CTV and Super Écran's 2016/17 schedule.

Also announced today are additional cast members including Deborah Hay (The Anniversary) as Catherine Cardinal, John Cardinal's wife; Alanna Bale (PRIME RADICALS) as Kelly Cardinal, Cardinal's precocious and independent teenage daughter; Glen Gould (Rhymes for Young Ghouls) as Jerry Commanda, a police contemporary and friend of Cardinal; David Richmond Peck (ORPHAN BLACK) as Corporal Musgrave, an officer in charge of a tightly guarded investigation; Gail Maurice (STREET TIME) as Dorothy Pine, mother of young murder victim Katie Pine; Kristen Thomson (Away from Her) as Sergeant Noelle Dyson, Cardinal's commanding officer; and Brendan Fletcher (The Revenant) and Allie MacDonald (YOUNG DRUNK PUNK) as Eric Fraser and Edie Soames, a young couple.

**MEDIA NOTE** - Download photos of CARDINAL at BellMedia.ca/PR.

"As production begins today in Sudbury, Ont. with the exceptional Billy Campbell, Karine Vanasse, and the ensemble cast we look forward to working with them and our incredible production partners to bring this unique serialized drama to life," said Corrie Coe, Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. "Setting the tone for this psychological drama is the exotic Northern landscape, which not only provides the perfect backdrop for this cast of compelling characters but also lends itself to become a character of its own."

"We're really excited about the CARDINAL project and the extraordinary wealth of talent found within the team behind the series," said Dany Meloul, Vice-President, Programming, French-Language TV, Bell Media. "With CARDINAL, Bell Media has assembled all the elements needed to deliver a world-class production for all Canadians, which will be broadcast simultaneously in English on CTV and in French on Super Écran."

CARDINAL is adapted from the award-winning novel Forty Words for Sorrow, the first of the John Cardinal Mysteries series, a series of six bestselling crime novels written by Ontario native and award-winning author Giles Blunt. The series begins with the discovery of Katie Pine, a missing 13-year-old whose body is discovered in the shaft-head of an abandoned mine. CARDINAL follows detectives John Cardinal (Campbell) and Lise Delorme (Vanasse) as they attempt to uncover the mystery of what happened to the young girl. But as the case grows in scope and horror, a dark secret from Cardinal's history threatens to derail the investigation.

CARDINAL is produced by Sienna Films and eOne in association with Bell Media's CTV, with the financial participation of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, the Canada Media Fund and the Cogeco Program Development Fund, and with the assistance of the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit. Super Écran has commissioned the series for French-language Canadian broadcast. eOne will distribute the series worldwide.

CARDINAL was first put into development by CTV in 2011. The series adaptation is developed for television and written by Canadian Screen Award-winner Aubrey Nealon (ORPHAN BLACK, SAVING HOPE), who also serves as an Executive Producer and Showrunner, directed by the award-winning Montréal native Daniel Grou aka Podz (19-2, MINUIT LE SOIR), also an Executive Producer, and is executive produced by Sienna Films duo Julia Sereny and Jennifer Kawaja (COMBAT HOSPITAL). For Bell Media, Tom Hastings is Director, Drama, Independent Production; and Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production. Mike Cosentino is Senior Vice-President, Programming, CTV Networks and CraveTV. Randy Lennox is President, Entertainment Production and Broadcasting, Bell Media.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Twitter:
@CTV_PR
@CTV_Television
@superecran
Billy Campbell - @WOCampbell
Karine Vanasse - @karinevanasse
Douglas Smith - @douglasthesmith
Glen Gould - @glen_gould
David Richmond-Peck - @richmondpeck
Gail Maurice - @pisim
Brendan Fletcher - @BrendanFletch1

Instagram:
Karine Vanasse - @karinevanasse
Glen Gould - @glengould
Gail Maurice - @bgailmaurice

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/CTV
www.facebook.com/SuperEcran


About Sienna Films
Helmed by Jennifer Kawaja and Julia Sereny, Sienna Films is the producer of internationally recognized television programs and feature films. Recently completed is Irish-Canadian feature UNLESS starring Catherine Keener, based on the novel by Carol Shields. Previous television includes series COMBAT HOSPITAL for Shaw Media, ABC and Sony International; Julian Fellowes-penned mini-series TITANIC, a Canada-UK-Hungary co-production for ITV, Shaw Media and ABC; and mini-series DIAMONDS for CBC, ABC and Antennae. Sienna's feature films include HOW SHE MOVE (Paramount Vantage/MTV Films); TOUCH OF PINK (Sony Pictures Classics); New Waterford Girl (Alliance Atlantis)]; I, Claudia; Marion Bridge and Saint Monica. They have played at film festivals including Sundance, Toronto International, Berlin and Rotterdam.

About Entertainment One
Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE:ETO) is a leading international entertainment company that specializes in the acquisition, production and distribution of film and television content. The company's comprehensive network extends around the globe including Canada, the U.S., the UK, Ireland, Spain, Benelux, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South Korea. Through established Film and Television divisions, the company provides extensive expertise in film distribution, television and music production, family programming, merchandising and licensing, and digital content. Its current rights library is exploited across all media formats and includes more than 40,000 film and television titles, 4,500 hours of television programming and 45,000 music tracks.

About Bell Media Independent Production
Bell Media has commissioned some of Canada's most-watched and most-acclaimed original programming, working with the best Canadian independent producers in the country. Hit series commissioned by CTV include ratings success stories SAVING HOPE, MOTIVE, the record-breaking THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, MASTERCHEF CANADA, and the upcoming drama CARDINAL. Among the original scripted series on Bell Media pay, specialty, and streaming platforms are the internationally acclaimed ORPHAN BLACK, the smash-hit thriller BITTEN, Space's most-watched original series KILLJOYS, Bravo's most-watched original drama 19-2, award-winning dramedy SENSITIVE SKIN, CraveTV's first original series LETTERKENNY, and Discovery's upcoming drama FRONTIER. Discovery is also home to Bell Media's hit factual series HIGHWAY THRU HELL, COLD WATER COWBOYS, and CANADA'S WORST DRIVER, among others.

About CTV
CTV is Canada's #1 private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV has been Canada's most-watched television network for the past 14 years in a row. CTV is a division of Bell Media, Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, digital, and Out-of-Home. Bell Media is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. More information about CTV can be found on the network's website at CTV.ca.

About Super Écran
Super Écran is the only French-language premium cable network in Canada that broadcasts TV premieres of films, exclusive series and variety shows. Super Écran offers commercial-free viewing, including five new films every weekend, on four HD channels plus an on-demand and online service with Super Écran GO. Super Écran is a division of Bell Media, which is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. For more information on Super Écran, visit www.superecran.ca.

SOURCE CTV

CTV

CONTACT: Jessica Charbonneau, Publicist, CTV Networks, 416.384.3016 or jessica.charbonneau@bellmedia.ca; Allie Page, Senior Manager, Communications, CTV Networks, 416.384.4596 or allie.page@bellmedia.ca; Sue Baldaro, Unit Publicist, 647.802.0739 or sue.baldaro@sympatico.ca


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