Production Begins on CTV Serialized Drama Cardinal

TORONTO/MONTREAL: Production has started on the new 6×1-hour serialized drama Cardinal, set to premiere as part of CTV and Super Écran’s 2016-17 schedule.

Cardinal is adapted from the award-winning novel Forty Words for Sorrow, the first of the John Cardinal Mysteries series, a set of six best-selling crime novels written by Giles Blunt. Billy Campbell (The Killing) and Karine Vanasse (Revenge) are series leads. The show follows detectives John Cardinal (Campbell) and Lise Delorme (Vanasse) as they attempt to uncover the mystery of what happened to a young girl whose body is discovered in the shaft-head of an abandoned mine.

Directed by Daniel Grou aka Podz (19-2, Minuit le soir), the murder-mystery begins shooting in Sudbury, Ontario. The series will also shoot in North Bay, Ontario, Atikameksheng Anishnawbek in northern Ontario, and Toronto. It is produced by Sienna Films and Entertainment One (eOne) in association with Bell Media’s CTV. eOne will distribute the series worldwide.

“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, the senior VP of independent production for 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, the VP of programming for French-language TV at 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.”