Paramount+ Unveils Canadian Development Slate

Paramount+ has unveiled a Canadian development slate, which includes a slew of commissioned features and series, as well as acquired programming, from Canadian creators.

New series in development include Hate the Player: The Ben Johnson Story and Len & Cub. Hate the Player: The Ben Johnson Story is a scripted comedy about the scandal that brought down the “world’s fastest man.” It comes from writer Anthony Q. Farrell (The Office U.S.) and producers New Metric Media (Letterkenny). From writer Lynne Kamm and producers Muse Entertainment and Elliot Page’s Page Boy Productions, Len & Cub dramatizes the true story of a secret relationship between two young men in rural 20th-century New Brunswick whose story came to light when a box of photos was discovered in an estate sale.

Additional new series in development are Carpe Demon and They Drive at Night. Carpe Demon, based on the best-selling book series by Julie Kenner, is about a frazzled suburban mom who is keeping a massive secret from her loving husband and children: she used to be a demon hunter. The adaptation comes from showrunner Emily Andras (Wynonna Earp, Lost Girl) and producers December Films, Cineflix Studios, Gina Marcheschi and Jon Brown. They Drive at Night, meanwhile, written by Craig Wallace (Murdoch Mysteries, Todd & The Book of Pure Evil), follows two best friends—a vampire and a werewolf—on a road trip across Canada. It is being produced by Black Birds Entertainment.

The Canadian development slate also features the Paramount+ original documentary 500 Days in the Wild, set to premiere this fall. Documentary filmmaker Dianne Whelan (This Land, 40 Days at Basecamp) recorded a solo journey traveling across Canada in 2015. She began her trek feeling disillusioned with the world, but six years and 28,000 kilometers later, she arrived back in Victoria, British Columbia, feeling wiser and more hopeful. It is produced by Betsy Carson with executive producers Christine Haebler and Whelan for Rebel Sisters Productions. It is distributed in Canada by Elevation Pictures.

Produced in association with Paramount+ is The Boy in the Woods, telling the true story of a Jewish boy hiding and being hunted in the forests of Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe. It is based on the memoir of the same name by Maxwell Smart and is produced by Lumanity Productions and JoBro Productions. Photon Films is distributing.

In terms of acquisitions, Paramount+ picked up a slew of Canadian feature films such as Midnight at the Paradise from LevelFILM, currently slated for 2023, as well as All the Lost Ones, Café Daughter, Orah and Who’s Yer Father? for 2024. It also acquired the romantic comedy feature The End of Sex from Vortex.

By the end of this year, Paramount+ will have acquired hundreds of hours of Canadian content from numerous partners, including Elevation Pictures, Mongrel Media, Sphere Films and Blue Ant Media. A selection fo those titles currently streaming on the platform are Never Seen Again, FBI: True, PAW Patrol, Away from Her, Aline, Kayak to Klemtu and PAW Patrol: The Movie.

The Paramount-owned streamer’s expanded Canadian content offering complements the company’s existing Canadian lineup on its FAST service, Pluto TV, which offers 45 dedicated Canadian channels. On July 1, three additional channels will join the Pluto TV offering: Truly Canadian, Pluto TV Documentaries and The Red Green Show.

“Paramount+ is known for content that is entertaining,” said Katrina Kowalski, VP of content at Paramount+ and Pluto TV Canada. “Our strategy includes partnering with the most exciting creators in the country, like we did with this first slate of projects. Storytelling captures viewers’ hearts and minds, and Paramount+ in Canada is proud to be working with local partners who are just as passionate as we are.”

“We are proud of today’s announcement which is the result of thoughtful dialog with the Canadian production community,” added Doug Smith, senior VP of streaming and content licensing for Canada at Paramount Global. “Paramount Streaming has a robust team of Canadians working directly on the business; we know this is the key to our success in the market, and we are proud to give the Canadian creative community an opportunity to shine both at home and around the world.”