Although the crew has been shooting nights for three weeks, and the wind on top of the Toronto parking garage that is the evening’s location is biting, Burt Reynolds’ first night on set seems to have added some inspiration for everyone involved on the grueling back-to-back production of the Showtime cable features Universal Soldier 2 & 3. The films are being produced by Toronto’s Catalyst Entertainment in association with l.a.’s Durrant-Fox.

As the star of the current theatrical hit Boogie Nights, Reynolds performs his first scene on the frigid garage roof with costars Matt Battaglia (Raven, Drop Dead), who plays a rogue universal soldier named Luc Devereux, and Chandra West as television reporter Veronica Roberts.

There are no less than five cameras pointed in the general vicinity of Mr. Reynolds. A locked-off 35mm film camera captures the scene, as does one mounted on a Steadicam rig. A local stringer crew from Entertainment Tonight is videotaping the action as the on-set photographer jockeys for position in the crowd surrounding the star of Smokey and the Bandit and Deliverance, looking to snap a shot of Burt that will receive the stamp of approval from his personal publicist in l.a.

Adding to all the lenses is a dummy prop Betacam camera carried by an actor playing the cameraman to West’s CNA News correspondent character.

Producing the $10.7-million pair of practical special effects-intensive cable movies (based on the theatrical feature starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren) has been in the works for Catalyst’s Kevin Gillis for some time.

Gillis, who is exec producing the action films along with Durrant-Fox’s John Laing, originally became interested in the Universal Soldier franchise as a principal and cofounder of now-defunct Labatt-owned production company Skyvision.

Skyvision acquired the rights to the franchise and originally intended to do four cable movies, but the project died when the new brewery ownership showed little interest in the production of filmed entertainment.

When Gillis joined Catalyst in September of ’96 with the mandate of expanding the company’s long-form slate, he began the process of requiring the rights from the l.a. company involved with the original Universal Soldier film.

After hooking up with Laing at this year’s natpe and massaging the financing and presales of both two hours up until the spring, Gillis was able to sign on actor Gary Busey (The Buddy Holly Story, Under Siege) to play the villain role of Mazur on the basis of Peter M. Lenkov’s (Demolition Man) strong script.

With director Jeff Woolnough (First Degree) and actor Jeff Wincott aboard to play Luc’s long-lost brother Eric, the production of Universal Soldier 2: Brothers In Arms and Universal Soldier 3: Unfinished Business that began principal photography on Oct. 27 was missing a key cast member who had the presence necessary to play a certain secret role.

With production just days away, former professional football player Battaglia was out to dinner with the films’ producers at posh uptown Toronto eatery Centro. When Battaglia (who Gillis calls a producer’s dream) suggested Reynolds for the role, Gillis laughed, saying they could hardly afford the star’s salary. Battaglia pulled out his cell phone and called Reynolds at home, and within three weeks Reynolds had joined the night crew after an afternoon costume fitting at Harry Rosen.

Catalyst ceo Charles Falzon confirms that the intention with the two cable films is to turn Universal Soldier into a syndicated one-hour series and Gillis says three syndicators have expressed interest already. With the potential for a series spin-off, making the two films at once ‘made economic sense and let us get to know the characters a little better,’ says Falzon, adding that Catalyst owns the North American rights on Universal Soldier 2 & 3 while Durrant-Fox essentially has the rest of the world.

With both films presold to Showtime, Catalyst is currently negotiating a video deal and is in discussions with potential Canadian broadcasters.

Some of the challenges faced by the strong crew during the course of the 42-day shoot include meticulously prepping a scene involving a mass of extras, an army of Universal Soldiers, and an exploding C123 cargo plane on loan from the u.s. military (because Canada couldn’t find a pilot for one of its craft), only to have a two-day blizzard begin just before shooting the scene.

Gillis contends that due to the crews’ diligence and efforts the shoot is on schedule and on budget and set to wrap on the morning of Christmas Eve.

Back on the garage roof, filming is underway and Reynolds runs to the edge of the five-story structure and begins to launch himself over the side, prompting everyone on set to hold their breath. A collective sigh of relief emerges as Reynolds stops short and turns around smiling, not a hair out of place.