Paragon Entertainment, via its feature arm HandMade Films and a distribution deal with Disney, will commence principal photography on a spoof of The Fugitive in Toronto May 27. The Wrong Guy will be directed by comedian-turned-director David Steinberg (Mad About You) and was written by Dave Foley of Kids in the Hall, Dave Higgins (Ellen) and Jay Kogen (Single Guy).

Shooting continues for eight weeks in and around Toronto. Gareth Jones, Jon Slan and Foley are executive producers, line producer is Martin Walters, costume designer is Delphine White, dop is David Makin, production manager is Reggie Rob, production designer is Greg Keen, and Higgins and Foley will star.

Developed by HandMade, the film will be distributed by Buena Vista in the u.s., cfp in Canada and internationally by HandMade.

Also in Paragon news, Hasbro Interactive has signed a licensing deal for the upcoming 50-episode series Kratt’s Creatures, which is currently in post. The wildlife send-up will broadcast on pbs and tvontario starting this summer. Further details on Hasbro’s plans, which are part of a larger merchandising strategy that includes an 18-book deal with Scholastic and a video deal with Polygram Video, were not available at press time.

New Alliance pic

Alliance Communications isn’t saying, but word is out it has a new feature, Shattered Image, on the go with Cinevisions and MDP Worldwide. Execs are the Never Talk to Strangers lineup: Barbet Schroeder, Peter Hoffman and Robert Lantos. Andras Hamori is producing.

The thriller will be directed by Paul Ruiz and the script was written by Duane Poole. Plans are to start production next month in the Virgin Islands. Alliance has Canadian distribution rights and Mark Damon has international.

Wedding plans

Just back from Vancouver where he directed the James Shavick/cfp thriller The Heist starring Andrew McCarthy and Cynthia Geary, Michael Kennedy is gearing up on a project he has waited four years to do. He describes Joe’s Wedding (formerly titled Venice by Midnight) as ‘a fine low-budget indie feature, which is a piece of quality work and not some film everyone is embarrassed to be working on.’

Kate Vernon (Soft Deceit) and D.W. Moffat (Stealing Beauty) become lovers after Vernon has kidnapped Moffat, stripped him, videotaped and chained him. She’s a performance artist; he’s an ex-musician who’s bought into the corporate life and is about to be married. Vernon is out to embarrass the father-in-law-to-be, who is her slumlord.

The dark romantic comedy was written (and is coproduced) by relative newcomers Tony Johnston (Power Down) and John Dolin (Side Effects), with Stavro Stavrides of ArtoPelli Films producing.

Of the extended development period, Kennedy says: ‘It’s ironic, but the better the script, the harder it is to raise the money.’ The $1.85 million project shoots March 24 through April 21.

The Ontario Film Development Corporation and Telefilm Canada were in for development funding, but the production is going ahead without government support. Stavrides has secured financing through presales, a distribution agreement with Astral for all rights in Canada, and with the investment of executive producers Wolf Schmidt of Big Bear Licensing and Ciro Dammicco of Eagle Pictures.

Plans are to deliver the 35mm film Aug. 10.

Associate producer is Karyn Nolan, production manager is Nathalie Laporte, dop is Ludek Bogner, art director is Ray Lorenz, and location manager is Paul Barkin.

After Joe’s Wedding wraps, Kennedy will continue development on A Friend Indeed for cbc (with writer Johnston), a title for Showtime he won’t talk about, and will be busy with a new addition to the family (number three), expected to arrive May 1.

May 9 start for F/X

After many delays, including the sale of Skyvision (now Fireworks) to Jay Firestone, and a few blips with distributor Rysher, season two of f/x has finally got a start date. May 9, 20 episodes of the series begin shooting at Cinevillage with the season one cast, Cameron Daddo, Carrie-Ann Moss, Kevin Dobson and Christina Cocks, intact.

Norman Denver is producing, executive producers are Firestone, Steve Downing and Miles Dale, and Rysher is distributing the series.

Production runs until about Dec. 18. Neither the budget per episode nor the directors were confirmed at press time, but it looks like Mario Azzopardi is one likely contender. Production manager is Frank Siracusa and production designer is Stephen Roloff. Visual effects are being done by Michael Kavanagh and Paul Jones of Digital Pictures.

Full throttle

Dufferin Gate is churning out at least two more mows for Showtime this spring in Toronto. Face Down starts principal March 31 for 20 shooting days and Hidden in America shoots from April 15 for 22 days.

Face Down features Joe Mantegna as a burnt-out detective who gets tangled up with a schizophrenic murder suspect. Director/ writer is Thom Eberhardt, who wrote Honey, I Blew up the Kid. Roni Weisberg is producing, executive producer is Chris Danton, production designer is Perri Gorrara and the rest of the crew was still pending at press time.

Martin Bell (American Heart) is directing Hidden in America, a drama about a rich doctor who helps a proud but poor father who can’t feed his family but won’t ask for money. Beau Bridges stars, with a cameo from executive producer Jeff Bridges.

Producer is David Ginsberg, writer is Peter Silverman, line producer is Fred Berner and Camar Arndt is production manager.

#2 from PNA

Producers Network Associates is in production on number two of its six-pack of $2 million to $3 million features and two more are in advanced stages of preproduction.

Deadly Wake, a sci-fi flick starring Malcom McDowell, Pacific Rim celebrity Michael Pare (Carver’s Gate, Eddie and the Cruisers), Heidi Von Palleske (Dead Ringers) and Gwynyth Walsh (the Klingon from Star Trek: Generations) shoots through April 18.

The setting is 2150, the earth has survived three Gulf Wars and an evil plot is afoot to destroy McDowell’s toxic waste tanker, thereby contaminating the planet.

The Canada/u.k. coproduction is produced by pna’s Daniel Dior and Kent Walwin of London-based Yellowbill Productions. Directing is Philip Jackson, writers are Andrew Dowler, Doug Bagot and Timothy Lee, dop is Jonathan Freeman, art director is Taavo Soodor, associate producers are Demerise Lafleur and Christopher Rutherford, and executive producer is David Steinberg. Distributor in Canada is Cineplex Odeon and Gel in the u.s.

In preproduction are The Cusp, another sci-fi pic starring Pare, and Talisman, the one drama of the pack.

Talisman, with acting coach-turned-director Lewis Baumander attached, is about the crash of a military space research station, ensuing biological warfare and an evil vs. good husband/wife team that develops an immune human species. Glen Cullen and Jules Delerome wrote the script.

In The Cusp, an asteroid that’s moved into the earth’s orbit for mining purposes falls into the hands of terrorists who plan to take control of the tiny planet and eventually blow up the earth.

Writer is Peter I. Horton and director is Jackson. Distributor is Roger Corman’s company, Concord/New Horizons.

Other pna projects pending are Dragonfly, written by Rick Filon with a distribution deal with Cinequanon Pictures International, and The Ethics Committee, written by H. Brian Goldman, with Jackson directing and Gel distributing.