Montreal-based producer/distributor Reel One Entertainment has signed a 40-film output deal with L.A.-based production management company The Cartel.

The deal will see both companies expand their investment in films for U.S. and international markets.

Under the deal, Reel One and The Cartel will co-develop films over a three-year period for broadcast partners, such as Lifetime and The Hallmark Channel, as well as for theatrical release. Reel One will handle worldwide distribution of the 40 titles.

Among the first films to be produced under the deal are the thrillers Eve of Abduction, due for release in 2018, and A Friend’s Obsession, which recently wrapped production. 

Reel One and Cartel have previously collaborated on six films, including The Wrong Mother (pictured), which aired on Lifetime earlier in 2017, and the 10-part procedural Ties That Bind, which aired on Up TV in the U.S.

The Montreal prodco, led by CEO Tom Berry, has expanded its scripted TV efforts of late. Reel One is currently developing a sci-fi series based on Philip K. Dick’s novella Second Variety. The company also recently added to its international sales team, adding a pair of new hires focused on global markets.