Creature comforts

Montreal – Martin and Chris Kratt are currently working on season two of Be the Creature. The brothers created, direct and host the natural history series that takes viewers into the heart of animal habitats around the world. Cheryl Knapp produces.

The 13 x 60 series is coproduced by Montreal’s Kratts Brothers and Toronto’s Decode Entertainment. The Kratts executive produce with Leo Eaton and Decode’s Steven DeNure and Beth Stevenson.

Shooting on season two runs from March 2004 to March 2005 at exotic locations around the world. Season one (12 x 60) airs on CBC in English Canada, Tele-Quebec in Quebec and National Geographic Channel in the U.S. Season two will hit NatGeo this winter and will go to air in Canada in fall 2005.

Decode has also created a large Web portal for the series – www.cbc.ca/bethecreature.

Be the Creature is produced with funding from Telefilm Canada, the TELUS Foundation, Department of Canadian Heritage, Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund and the Videotron Fund. Laura Bracken

In the Zone

Montreal – Diane England is currently producing the series Minuit, Le soir for Montreal production company Zone 3. Shooting in and around Montreal began Oct. 13 and is scheduled to wrap Dec. 22. Daniel Grou directs 12 one-hour episodes, which are being produced for $275,000 each, with cash from Telefilm Canada and the CTF.

Claude Legault (Dans une galaxie pres de chez vous – Le film) Louis Champagne, Julien Poulin (Seraphin: un homme et son peche) and Julie Perreault (L’horloge biologique) star in the story written by Pierre-Yves Bernard in collaboration with Legault. Michel Bissonnette, Andre Larin, Vincent Leduc and Paul Dupont-Hebert executive produce. The series begins airing on Radio-Canada in January 2005. Laura Bracken

Fourteen MOWs in three years for JB

Montreal – JB Media, headed by Jean Bureau, started principal photography on Jean’s Fate Nov. 22. The $4-million MOW, shooting in Montreal through December, is the fourteenth TV movie in the company’s three-year history.

Madchen Amick (Global Effect) and Andrew Walker (Wicked Minds) star in the story of a woman who tries to uncover the secret life of her deceased husband. Louis Belanger (Gaz Bar Blues) directs.

JB has secured presales to The Movie Network, Super Ecran and Movie Central in Canada, and Lifetime in the U.S. U.K.-based Power Pictures is handling international sales.

In other news, JB’s distribution arm, Incendo Media, headed by Stephen Greenberg, recently signed an agreement to represent Showtime in Canada. Laura Bracken