- Comedies BENSEN and ELECTED in development
at Paramount+ Canada -
- Paramount+ Original Feature Documentary 500 DAYS IN THE WILD to
premiere at Whistler International Film Festival, followed by
Paramount+ Premiere and marketing campaign in 2024 -
TORONTO, Nov. 27,
2023 /CNW/ -- Paramount+ announced today two new,
Canadian original comedy titles to their expanding development
slate from Boat Rocker. BENSEN, created and written by Clara Altimas, and ELECTED, created and written
by Michael McGowan, have been added
to the growing list of Canadian content backed by the global
streaming service. In June, Paramount+ in Canada revealed its first set of projects in
the development stage consisting of Paramount+ Original
documentary, 500 DAYS IN THE WILD from Dianne Whelan and four
other projects from a variety of Canadian creatives.
"We are thrilled to be developing two new, fresh comedy series
with one of the country's best production houses, Boat Rocker,"
said Doug Smith, SVP Streaming & Content Licensing
Paramount Global, Canada. "Boat
Rocker's reputation is synonymous with excellence, and we are
excited to jump into the worlds being created by Clara Altimas for BENSEN and by Michael McGowan for ELECTED."
"We're delighted to partner with Paramount+ on BENSEN and
ELECTED, two vastly different but equally compelling comedy series
that are wonderfully unexpected and resonant," said Kerry Appleyard, SVP, Head of Scripted Canada,
Boat Rocker Studios. "We're lucky to be working with such
incredibly talented teams to bring a double whammy of heart and
humour to the screen."
New Titles in Development
BENSEN
A scripted dramedy about a struggling limo driver who tries to
maintain fun dad status after the death of his wife and with the
help of his dysfunctional family. BENSEN is a story about the
impossibility of grieving the right way. Created and Written by
Clara Altimas. For Boat Rocker
Executive Producers are: Clara
Altimas, David Fortier
(Slip, Beacon 23), Ivan
Schneeberg (Slip, Beacon 23), and Kerry Appleyard (Orphan Black: Echoes,
Robyn Hood).
ELECTED
When an A-list actor unexpectedly has an opportunity to become the
Prime Minister of Canada, he
accepts what could turn out to be the worst decision he's ever made
or, improbably, the role of a lifetime. A premium comedy series
created by Michael McGowan (All
My Puny Sorrows, Still Mine), Creative consultant is
Sherry White (Pretty Hard Cases,
Rookie Blue). For Boat Rocker Executive Producers are:
Michael McGowan, David Fortier, Ivan
Schneeberg and Kerry
Appleyard.
Additionally, Paramount+'s first Original documentary, 500 DAYS
IN THE WILD will premiere at the Whistler International Film
Festival this Friday, December 1. The
project will have a limited theatrical run in early 2024, followed
by its premiere on Paramount+. 500 DAYS IN THE WILD is produced by
Betsy Carson with Executive
Producers Christine Haebler and Dianne
Whelan for Rebel Sisters Productions and distributed in
Canada by Elevation Pictures.
Previously announced Series in Development with Paramount+ in
Canada include; HATE THE
PLAYER: THE BEN JOHNSON STORY from writer Anthony Q Farrell
(The Office U.S.) and award-winning producers New
Metric Media (Letterkenny), LEN & CUB from writer
Lynne Kamm and producers Muse
Entertainment and Elliot Page's Page
Boy Productions, CARPE DEMON from award-winning showrunner
Emily Andras (Wynonna Earp, Lost Girl) and producers
December Films, Cineflix Studios, Gina
Marcheschi and Jon Brown and
THEY DRIVE AT NIGHT written by Emmy Award winner
Craig Wallace (Murdoch Mysteries,
Todd & The Book of Pure Evil) and producers Black Birds
Entertainment.
About Boat Rocker
Boat Rocker (TSX: BRMI) is the home
for creative visionaries. An independent, integrated global
entertainment company, our purpose is to tell stories and build
iconic brands across all genres and mediums. With offices around
the world, Boat Rocker's creative and commercial capabilities
include Scripted, Unscripted, and Kids and Family television
production, distribution, brand & franchise management, a
world-class animation studio, and talent management through
Untitled Entertainment. A selection of Boat Rocker's projects
include: Invasion (Apple TV+), Pretty
Baby: Brooke Shields (Hulu), Slip (Roku),
Downey's Dream Cars
(Max), Orphan Black (BBC AMERICA, CTV Sci-Fi
Channel), Dear…(Apple TV+), Billie Eilish: The
World's a Little Blurry (Apple TV+), The Next
Step (BBC, Corus, CBC), Daniel
Spellbound (Netflix), and Dino
Ranch (Disney+, Disney Junior, CBC). For more information,
please visit www.boatrocker.com.
About Paramount+
Paramount+ is a global digital subscription video streaming service
from Paramount that features a mountain of premium entertainment
for audiences of all ages. Internationally, the streaming service
features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and
popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and
production studios, including SHOWTIME®, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV,
Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian Channel™, in
addition to a robust offering of premier local content. The service
is currently live in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Latin
America, the Caribbean,
Australia, Italy, Ireland and South
Korea.
SOURCE Paramount+ (Canada)
