Thunderbird Films has picked up the worldwide rights to Tragedy at Mayerthorpe, the MOW currently in the works about the small-town Alberta shoot-out that left four RCMP officers dead in 2005. The project got underway in the Calgary area earlier this month, produced by locals Seven24 Films and Slanted Wheel Entertainment in Toronto. It is slated to air on CTV in 2007/08.

Thunderbird president Michael Shepard said in a statement that the story has ‘universal appeal,’ adding ‘we are really impressed with the quality of the cast.’

The MOW — the full, working title of which is To Serve and Protect: Tragedy at Mayerthorpe — stars Henry Czerny (Clear and Present Danger) as an RCMP corporal, who appears along with Diane Ladd (Chinatown) and Brian Markinson (Eight Days to Live). Ken Girotti (24) directs.