Shaftesbury Films is getting back into the movies.

The Toronto-based producer has tapped Canadian director Jon Cassar, best known as the Los Angeles-based director/executive producer of 24, to lens Sea Witches, a theatrical feature about female pirates.

Shaftesbury Films is coproducing the project with MacRury Here Productions, the production shingle for Malcolm MacRury (Deadwood), who penned the script.

There’s no casting news for the feature, which plans to shoot in either Brazil or Australia, each of which offers an exotic ocean backdrop for the swash-buckling action/adventure pic.

Peter Meyboom, Scott Garvie, Christina Jennings and MacRury share producer credits.

Shaftesbury got its start in feature films in the 1990s with titles like Camilla and Swann, before shifting mainly into TV production. With backing from Telefilm Canada, Shaftesbury will shop the Sea Witches script in New York City later this month at the Independent Film Week market in search of additional financing and production partners.