Writer/director Jeff Renfroe’s sci-fi thriller The Colony is set to start shooting next week in Toronto through to the end of March.

No word on casting for the $16 million feature from Paul Barkin’s Alcina Pictures, with Montreal-based Item 7 and Vancouver-based Mad Samurai Productions.

The producers are to unveil their talent roster just before shooting starts on Feb. 22.

The picture is booked into Pinewood Toronto Studios, where Guillermo del Toro is busily shooting his mega-monster movie Still Seas.

Renfroe co-wrote the script for The Colony with Patrick Tarr, Pascal Trottier and Svet Rouskov.

The genre pic is set after the next ice age and portrays a group of underground survivors fighting for their lives as they fend off a savage band of feral humans.

The producer credits are shared by Barkin, Colin Brunton, Matthew Cervi, Pierre Even and Marie-Claude Poulin (Café de Flore).

Renfroe is repped by UTA and Characters Talent Agency.