Paul Gross and his partners at Whizbang Films are getting back into politics, and plan to deliver a sequel to their 2004 thriller H2O to CBC in time for the 2007/08 season.

The 2 x 120 follow-up, The Trojan Horse, shoots this month and next in Ontario, Calgary and the U.K. – with Gross back in the lead as a former prime minister who, this time, takes a run at the White House.

How’s that? Recall that H2O ended with Canada dissolving confederation and joining the U.S., which, at least in the script by Gross and John Krizanc, makes the erstwhile PM eligible for the top job in Washington.

Thus, Gross’ Thomas McLaughlin hits the campaign trail as an independent, with backing from top European powers.

‘We see what would amount to a wet dream for the Europeans… hoping once he’s in they’ll be able to control America,’ says exec producer Frank Siracusa from onboard the Trojan bus, somewhere in Ontario.

Charles Binamé (Maurice Richard, H2O) again directs with DOP Derick Underschultz (Everest ’82) on a $10-million budget backed by CTF and Cogeco. Gross also exec produces.

CBC has had uneven luck with political drama lately – striking out with René Lévesque, Il Duce Canadese and Trudeau II: Maverick in the Making, while scoring with Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story. Siracusa says the net has faith in the Trojan cast, which includes Greta Scacchi, Gross’ wife Martha Burns, Kenneth Welsh, William Hutt and Saul Rubinek.

A ‘bigger American name’ is also in talks, says Siracusa.

H2O played well in 2004, drawing almost two million viewers over two nights, and sold well overseas, he adds. Beta Films will distribute The Trojan Horse in Europe.

‘The project is international in every sense of the word. It’s got international cast, international content and appeal where we intend to sell it,’ says Siracusa.

Gross and Siracusa are also looking to shoot Passchendaele, their big-budget epic feature set in World War One, sometime in 2007.