Jay Ryan, Richard Short, Lyriq Bent, Greg Bryk and Charlotte Sullivan Join Cast Alongside Series Star Caroline Dhavernas

Award–Winning Holly Dale Tapped As Series Director

TORONTO, July 14, 2016 /CNW/ - Leading independent studio Entertainment One (eOne) and newly minted Cameron Pictures Inc., alongside Canadian broadcast and production partner Corus are pleased to announce that principal photography has begun on Mary Kills People, the provocative new Global original series starring Caroline Dhavernas (Hannibal, Off The Map, Wonderfalls). Created by Tara Armstrong, Mary Kills People is executive produced by Tassie Cameron (Rookie Blue, Flashpoint, The Robber Bride). Directing the series is award-winning Holly Dale, whose previous credits include The Americans, Dexter, Castle and the critically acclaimed series Durham County.

The six-part one-hour drama shoots in and around Toronto through the summer and is set to premiere on Global in Canada in early 2017.

Set in the morally grey world of assisted suicide, Mary Kills People is an intense, controversial, and thought-provoking drama.  The series follows Dr. Mary Harris (Dhavernas), a single mother and emergency doctor by day, who also moonlights as an underground angel of death — helping terminally ill patients who want to die and slip away on their own terms. So far Mary has managed to stay under the radar; but business is booming, and her double life is getting complicated.  When her world starts to unravel, Mary realizes she's going to have to fight dirty if she's going to stay in the killing game.

Also announced today are additional cast members joining Dhavernas in the series. Jay Ryan (Top of the Lake, Beauty and the Beast) has been cast as Joel, one of Mary's terminally ill clients, but a mutual attraction blurs the lines of their doctor-patient relationship, while Richard Short (Vinyl, 666 Park Avenue) has joined as Des, Mary's trusted partner in crime. Rounding out the cast is Lyriq Bent (Book of Negroes, Rookie Blue) as Frank, Joel's friend who worries he's getting in too deep with Dr. Death, Greg Bryk (Bitten, A History of Violence) as Grady, Mary's drug supplier, Abigail Winters (Between, Saving Hope, Rookie Blue) as Mary's teen daughter who learns that the people closest to her are not what they seem and Charlotte Sullivan (Rookie Blue) as Nicole, Mary's concerned sister.

"With Tara's dynamic and thought-provoking pilot script, Tassie's stewardship, Holly on board, and an unbeatable cast now set, Mary Kills People has all the markings of a game-changing television event," said Jocelyn Hamilton, President, Canada, eOne Television. "We are grateful to our long-time partners at Global for passionately embracing the project and can't wait for viewers to embrace it with the same enthusiasm."

"We're delighted to be starting production with such an extraordinary cast – led by Caroline, Jay and Richard – and creative team," said Tassie Cameron, Executive Producer, Cameron Pictures Inc. "We can't wait to bring this richly layered, demanding and complex series to life. With Mary Kills People we're telling a bold and contemporary story that hasn't been seen on television."

"We are thrilled to bring together the best and the brightest in Canadian television for this timely and important new series," said Maria Hale, Senior Vice President, Global Entertainment and Acquisitions, Corus. "Mary Kills People ushers in a dynamic new type of storytelling for Global and we look forward to working with the terrific team at Entertainment One, along with Tara Armstrong, Tassie Cameron, Holly Dale and the talented cast to bring these rich characters and their stories to Canadian viewers."

Mary Kills People is produced by eOne and Cameron Pictures Inc., in association with Corus Entertainment, and with the financial participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit. eOne handles international distribution for the series. The series is executive produced by Tassie Cameron, Amy Cameron, Tecca Crosby and Holly Dale. Tara Armstrong is Co-Executive Producer. Tashi Bieler serves as the Executive in Charge of Production for eOne and Norman Denver is Producer.

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About Entertainment One
Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE:ETO) is a global independent studio that specialises in the development, acquisition, production, financing, distribution and sales of entertainment content. The Company's diversified expertise spans across film, television and music production and sales, family programming, merchandising and licensing, and digital content. Through its global reach and expansive scale, powered by deep local market knowledge, the Company delivers the best content to the world.

Entertainment One's robust network includes film and television studio The Mark Gordon Company; content creation venture Amblin Partners with Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks Studios, Participant Media, and Reliance Entertainment; leading feature film production and global sales company Sierra Pictures; unscripted television production companies Renegade 83, Paperny Entertainment and Force Four Entertainment; world-class music labels Dualtone Music Group and Last Gang; and award-winning digital agency Secret Location.

The Company's rights library is exploited across all media formats and includes more than 100,000 hours of film and television content and approximately 40,000 music tracks.

www.entertainmentone.com 

About Cameron Pictures
Cameron Pictures Inc. is the new independent production company formed by Canadian Screen Award winning executive producer and showrunner Tassie Cameron and her sister, television executive and award-winning journalist and author Amy Cameron. Tassie was showrunner on the six seasons of Global/ABC hit Rookie Blue and has worked on some of television's most exciting dramas including Flashpoint, The Eleventh Hour, and Degrassi, and on the CBC adaptation of Margaret Atwood's The Robber Bride. She is also an executive producer on Private Eyes, Jason Priestley's new P.I. series for Corus/Global. Before joining Cameron Pictures, Amy was the executive in charge of production at CBC TV Drama, overseeing the award-winning series Book of Negroes, Heartland and Republic of Doyle.

Global Television is a Corus Entertainment Network.

About Corus Entertainment Inc.
Corus Entertainment Inc. (TSX: CJR.B) is a leading media and content company that creates and delivers high quality brands and content across platforms for audiences around the world. The company's portfolio of multimedia offerings encompasses 45 specialty television services, 39 radio stations, 15 conventional television stations, a global content business, digital assets, live events, children's book publishing, animation software, technology and media services. Corus' roster of premium brands includes Global Television, W Network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network Canada, HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, HISTORY®, Showcase, National Geographic Channel, Q107, CKNW, Fresh Radio, Disney Channel Canada, YTV and Nickelodeon Canada. Visit Corus at www.corusent.com.

SOURCE Global Television