Embattled Peace Arch Entertainment has put a $15-million movie, The Boathouse, on hold after being swamped by the dramatic arrest of CEO Gary Howsam earlier this month. British producer Studio Eight Productions was set to lens the psychological thriller beginning mid-November in Barrie, ON. A local lakeside cottage was prepped for the film, which is based on a script by Vancouver-based screenwriter Elizabeth Stewart.

Things changed when Studio Eight received a phone call from Peace Arch indicating they should pull their oars from the water. Alex Brown, a principal of Studio Eight, based in London, said he was told the production delay was prompted by ‘current internal concerns’ at Peace Arch’s headquarters in Toronto and its satellite office in Los Angeles. Howsam was arrested by the FBI on allegations of bank fraud.

The Boathouse, set around an idyllic summer cottage, portrays a young woman who must face the truth about her complicity in the disappearance of her mentor. The movie will now be shot in spring 2008, according to Peace Arch president and COO John Flock. He adds other upcoming productions for the Peace Arch movie slate, especially low-budget genre shoots in Hamilton, will go ahead unaffected by current events.