Sullivan Entertainment has started off 1996 with a bang.

A source at the local production and distribution company – best known for its tv mega-hits Road to Avonlea and Anne of Green Gables – says, ‘there is a serious reshuffling going on.’

Director of development Suzanne French departed earlier this month and her assistant left last month. According to the source, Sullivan is ‘setting up an l.a. development arm and closing this one (Toronto) down.’

coo Aldo di Felice would not comment except to say, ‘Nothing has changed in terms of our developing projects.’ Di Felice also says the company has stopped casual script acceptance and is leaning toward soliciting scripts as an exclusive principle of practice.

Also at Sullivan, communications manager Jody Scotchmer and assistant director of acquisitions Tanya Gallus have left the company, both in the new year.

Renny and Geena’s other baby

While Renny Harlin and Geena Davis are in town making The Long Kiss Good Night, they are also executive producing a cable movie for hbo, which will shoot locally Feb. 19 through March 29.

Mistrial stars Bill Pullman as a cop who is disgruntled with a murder trial verdict and decides to take justice into his own hands.

Producer is Bruce Cohen, director is Heywood Gould (Trial by Jury), David Chapman is production designer and production manager is Brian Parker. The rest of the crew for the $5 million u.s. mow is tba. Cast opposite Pullman is Robert Loggia.

Equipment for rent

Despite the influx of multimillion-dollar Hollywood pics, Toronto’s camera packages are not booked solid.

When the decision to shoot anamorphic for The Long Kiss Good Night was reversed last month, Panavision was out of the picture and dop Guillermo Navarro decided to go with his favorite choice – a moviecam. He also decided to get the equipment from a California rental house, Auto Nemitz, he frequents.

Apparently, the story of an ex-cia agent who tries to play dead and start life anew as a school teacher is a 10-camera shoot, so it’s quite a loss.

A source at Panavision says the Jean-Claude Van Damme picture now titled The Frenchman and starring Natasha Henstrije of Species is also getting its packages from California.

The only one of the three big current movies to use local equipment is Extreme Measures, the Castle Rock pic starring Hugh Grant. The Michael Apted-helmed feature is executive produced by Elizabeth Hurley, produced by Chris Brighan, dop is John Bailey, production designer is Doug Kraner, art director is Paul Austerberry and production manager is Marilyn Stonehouse.

Plans are to shoot in Toronto for seven weeks starting Feb. 26 and then relocate to New York for another four.

Marked for Murder

Master of Murder, an independent $5 million u.s. feature with no studio, distribution or government funds attached, is heading into production Feb. 19 for five weeks.

Written by Christopher Pike, the story is described by Jeff Coghlan, coproducer with Pike, as ‘a bit of Sleuth and a bit of the O.J. Simpson case.’

A murder mystery writer who manages to get published but has not reached the pinnacle of fame he yearns for, gets a bright idea when he meets Howard Stern (who is doing a cameo, says Coghlan) signing copies of his new book.

The frustrated author recognizes that the notoriety of the New York radio personality is what sells books – not writing talent – and decides, with the help of his agent/wife, to stage her fake murder, thereby making himself famous. Things go awry, someone gets killed and the author does indeed feel the heat of glory.

Mario Azzopardi is directing, Alistair MacRae and Gerry Holmes are production designers, Lena Cordina is pm and Clare Walker is casting. Crew and stars have yet to be signed. For now, the film has no official country attached, but Coghlan, an expat actor from l.a. who returned home to make this film, says it will probably end up with financing from the States and Canada.

Coghlan is in discussion with Malofilm, Alliance and Fine Line, who are ‘very interested,’ he says.

Casting Shadows

Shadow Zone: Undead Express is a pilot for a potential series of 12 two-hour movies with broadcaster to be confirmed. It goes before camera at the end of January for approximately four weeks.

Based on the Shadow Zone books written by J.R. Black, the youth horror tales about vampires in the subway are being adapted by Roy Sallows. Stephen Williams is director, producer/ production manager is John Danylkiw, Neil Montgomerie is pm with Danylkiw, dop is Curtis Peterson, and in Canada, Clare Walker is casting. Executive producers are Tom Lynch and Gary Stephenson of Lynch Entertainment, l.a.