Toronto production company Fireworks Entertainment has closed a deal with Nickelodeon to produce a 26-part, half-hour tween series, Stray Dogs, for the cable network.

The per episode budget is $616,000 and production is slated for Vancouver beginning in April 1999. Cast has not been attached to the project as yet.

Stray Dogs is the story of a rough young, urban city girl who has been in and out of reform schools. She is taken by a distant cousin who lives in the Rocky Mountains and she befriends a stray dog.

Lynch Entertainment, producer of the Nickelodeon series Alex Mack, will distribute Stray Dogs in the u.s. Fireworks holds international rights.

Stray Dogs will be among the properties Fireworks will be shopping at NATPE. Also on tap is a new action-adventure property, saysFireworks coo Adam Haight.

Along the lines of a female-driven Indiana Jones, the yet-to-be-titled series stars Tia Carrere (True Lies, Wayne’s World) as a university history professor who is called upon to help reclaim ancient artifacts, and goes on adventures which take her to all corners of the globe.

Frank Encarnacao, who wrote for The Raven series, developed the bible and pilot script.

Protocol is partnering with Rysher Entertainment, which will syndicate the series in the u.s. market. Rysher has sold Fireworks’ previous shows such as F/X: The Series and The Raven. The plan is to produce 22 episodes and sell immediately into first-run syndication.

To finance the $1.5-million per hour series, Fireworks coo Adam Haight is discussing the project with potential French coproducers. The Canada/France coproduction will be weighted 70% for Fireworks, says Haight. French broadcaster M6 is already on board.

‘We believe the future value of European Community-content shows is going to be important,’ says Haight of the decision to coproduce the series overseas.

Fireworks is currently working with French partner Gaumont Television on Highlander: The Raven. Gaumont, which was involved in the production of the original Highlander series, approached Fireworks to collaborate on the new series, starring Paul Johansson and Elizabeth Gracen as an unlikely team – an ex-cop who has found the legal system to be criminal and an immortal 1,200-year-old thief – who team up in the war against injustice.

A total of 22 episodes (budgeted at $1.5 million per) is being produced for the first season, which airs on Citytv in Canada, M6 in France, and is syndicated nationally by Rysher in the u.s. The Raven has cleared on 146 American stations, representing 92% of the country.

The majority financier is Gaumont, with Rysher and Fireworks equally sharing the balance of the investment.

‘Gaumont is the only European production company to produce an ongoing series for the u.s. market and is a good fit with Fireworks,’ says Haight. ‘We anticipate working with Gaumont on a number of new projects.’

Gaumont holds European distribution rights on The Raven and Fireworks is distributing in Canada and the balance of territories.

Fireworks is in the process of building its own international sales arm, says Haight, and has been warehousing foreign rights for the opening of its own foreign distribution activities.

‘We have been taking a bigger role in all our productions and taking more rights,’ says Haight.

Fireworks’ natpe lineup also includes Real Kids, Real Adventures, a half-hour series for Discovery Channel Canada’s new kids’ block. The action-adventure property chronicles heroics and courageous acts undertaken by ordinary children.

Fireworks is owned by CanWest Global.