The casting call for On the Lot — the reality series backed by Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg — has reeled in 12,000 submissions from around the world, more than one-third of which came from Canadians, according to CTV.

Out of the 4,000 applications received from Canucks, 27 filmmakers from Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver were invited to closed-door casting sessions in Toronto and Vancouver on Tuesday.

The series is set to air this summer on CTV and Fox, and is billed as a search for the next great filmmaker — giving 16 rookies the chance to compete for a $1-million development deal with DreamWorks. A host and judging panel for the series will be announced in the coming months.

The series is produced by Mark Burnett Productions, DreamWorks Television and Amblin Television. Burnett and Spielberg are its creators and executive producers. Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey and Conrad Riggs are co-executive producers.

From Media in Canada