VANCOUVER: Chris Haddock and Nicholas Campbell are working together once again, this time on The Quality of Life – A Dominic Da Vinci Movie, an MOW that continues the evolution of Vancouver’s coroner-turned-mayor for CBC.

The two-hour, $3-million MOW follows Mayor Da Vinci’s investigation of a scandalous murder that happens during an urban crime conference he hosts in Vancouver, and started shooting earlier this month. It is slated to air this fall.

This time Dominic Da Vinci ‘realizes that pure outrage isn’t enough and has to play the political game according to insider rules,’ says producer Chris Haddock, who created the original, 91-episode Da Vinci’s Inquest series, which earned 18 Gemini Awards over its seven-year run.

The spinoff, Da Vinci’s City Hall, aired only 13 episodes on CBC and was cancelled in 2006 due to tepid ratings.

‘I’m really thrilled to be back with the cast again after a year hiatus,’ he says. ‘It’s great to come back to a character that I love, whether it’s on television or not. I still have a standing book offer.’

Nicholas Campbell returns in the title role, along with City Hall costars Ben Ratner and Patrick Gallagher. Mary Walsh (This Hour Has 22 Minutes) joins the cast as one-half of a power couple in the media.

In explaining Da Vinci’s ongoing appeal, Haddock says Campbell displays a uniquely Canadian character with a strong social voice. ‘That’s increasingly rare on television,’ he notes.

John Fawcett (Intelligence) directs Haddock’s script, cowritten with longtime Da Vinci collaborator Alan DiFiore.

Toronto’s Barna-Alper Productions and Vancouver-based Haddock Entertainment once again share production duties. Haddock is developing another Da Vinci MOW for 2008.

Vancouver-based distributor Thunderbird Films will handle worldwide distribution outside the U.S., which is handled by Program Partners. Da Vinci’s Inquest has been successful in U.S. syndication, reaching four million viewers each week.

Production on Quality, which wrapped shooting in Vancouver March 3, went ‘smooth as silk,’ says Haddock, because the production team from Intelligence rolled right into production on the MOW. ‘We’re a well-oiled fighting machine,’ he says, adding that he is confident a second season of Intelligence will get the green light from CBC.