McCulloch makes Comeback

Calgary – Principal photography begins May 9 in Calgary on Bruce McCulloch’s latest, Comeback Season, starring Ray Liotta as a man plotting to win back his wife.

The comedy feature by writer/director McCulloch (Stealing Harvard) is produced by Susan Cavan of Toronto’s Accent Entertainment (Waking Up Walter: The Walter Gretzky Story) and Shirley Vercruysse of Calgary’s Burns Film (waydowntown). Jamie Anderson (Bad Santa) is DOP.

Shaun Sipos (Complete Savages) costars with Glenne Headly (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Rachel Blanchard (Road Trip) and Brooke Nevin (Without a Trace).

Funding comes from CTF, Telefilm Canada, The Movie Network and Movie Central, the Alberta Film Development Program, CHUM Television, The Harold Greenberg Fund and L.A.-based Endgame Entertainment. Comeback Season is distributed in Canada by ThinkFilm and internationally by Myriad Pictures, represented by exec producers Jeff Sackman and Kirk D’Amico, respectively. Brad Farrell

Valley of the living dead

Vancouver – Zombies will invade Kelowna and the Okanagan Valley region in early June when eight weeks of production begins on Fido, by Vancouver’s Anagram Pictures. Prep on the largest feature in Kelowna’s production history begins at the end of April.

Fido – described as a ‘feel-good zombie movie’ – is directed by cowriter Andrew Currie and produced by Mary Anne Waterhouse and Blake Corbet. Previously, Anagram produced Mile Zero and The Delicate Art of Parking.

‘We looked in a number of locations throughout Canada, and finally picked the Okanagan because it provided the complete package,’ says Waterhouse. Fido had been one of the local productions considering non-B.C. locations during the B.C. tax-incentive crisis in January.

‘This project has some very specific locations needs that worked here, and additionally there were supportive tax incentives and a growing crew base we could utilize,’ Waterhouse adds.

‘Last year was a tough one given the uncertainty facing the B.C. industry, but we believe strongly our area is perfect for these large independent films,’ says Sara Shaak, film commissioner for the Okanagan. ‘This project is going to be a lot of fun for people in the area who are anxious to see some more film production.’ Ian Edwards

Cheap and Dirty flick wraps

Vancouver – Fetching Cody, a feature film by Vancouver’s Cheap and Dirty Productions, wrapped three weeks of production April 16 in Vancouver. Called a fantasy comedy, Fetching Cody is about a street kid who tries to save his girlfriend’s life by traveling back in time in a comfy old chair.

After going back a number of times to different events in her past, he discovers that nothing has an effect on her steadily declining condition in the present. Eventually, it dawns on him that the biggest problem in her life might be him, and he journeys back one last time to make sure that they never meet, influencing their destinies in ways he never anticipated.

Jay Baruchel (Million Dollar Baby) stars with Vancouver actors Sarah Lind (Edgemont) and Jim Byrnes (Wiseguy).

David Ray (Second Wave) is the writer and director for the film. He cocreated the story concept with Carolyn Allain (Making the Cut), who is also the coproducer with Christina Margellos Bulbrook (A Girl Is a Girl). Paul Mitchnik is the DOP (Murder at the Presidio), Marti Wright (Marine Life) is the art director, William Butler (Kingdom Hospital) handles sound and Toby Lindala (The Butterfly Effect) oversees special effects.

Fetching Cody will be broadcast on Movie Central and Showcase and is supported by Telefilm Canada, the CanWest Western Independent Producers Fund, Praxis and Astral Media. Ian Edwards