The Mist has rolled into Nova Scotia.

Production on the television series, which is based on the Stephen King novella of the same name, has started in Halifax.

U.S. cable net Spike TV ordered 10 hour-long episodes of the show, which is set to premiere next year. The series tells the story of a town that has been enveloped by a strange, dense mist, and follows how its residents attempt to survive.

The Mist is produced by TWC-Dimension Television in conjunction with Halifax-based Magic Rock Productions. The majority of filming will take place in Halifax with additional shooting in the Windsor, N.S. area. Production is set to wrap Nov. 18.

The series marks a significant milestone for the province, which saw fears of an end to the local industry run rife following the end of its labour-based film and TV tax credit in 2015. But it seems things are bouncing back, both on the domestic and foreign-production front, with The Mist marking a big win for a small province fighting for production dollars against a raft of Canadian and U.S. jurisdictions armed with incentives of their own.

“We needed this series in a big way,” said Magic Rock founder Michael Mahoney in an interview with Playback Daily. “It was a pivotal point for the industry, quite frankly. We have so many good, talented people here and people were starting to leave.”

The Nova Scotia government approved funding for the series of up to $5.9 million through its Film and Television Production Incentive Fund. Given that the production exceeds the $4 million per-production limit outlined in the fund guidelines, Nova Scotia Business, the organization that administers the fund, stated that the funding will be provided outside of the $10 million budget for the 2017/2018 fiscal year, leaving capacity for other productions.

“We’ve been working closely with the film industry and have demonstrated flexibility within the fund to help them be successful and sustainable,” stated the Nova Scotia Business release.

In addition to funding, TWC-Dimension exec Tom Prince said in a release that the province’s combo of weather and crew matched the production’s needs exactly.

“We were intent on finding the perfect location – a place that could double for Maine, where the story is set, and one with an experienced crew base and proven track record that would work to fulfill our other requirements,” the EVP of physical production/post at TWC-Dimension Television said in a release.

The series cast includes Morgan Spector (The Drop), Frances Conroy (Six Feet Under) and Alyssa Sutherland (Vikings). Adam Bernstein (Fargo, Better Call Saul) is directing the pilot. 

Christian Torpe and Amanda Segel are executive producers of The Mist. Bob and Harvey Weinstein and David Glasser are executive producers for TWC-Dimension Television with Megan Spanjian, Matthew Signer and Keith Levine serving as producers.

Sharon Levy, Ted Gold and Lauren Ruggiero will oversee the series for Spike with Vlad Wolynetz serving as co-executive producer.

Image: Kevin Brine / Shutterstock.com