The makers of Hank and Mike have started work on their next project, shooting the comedy Running Mates in northern Ontario. Thomas Michael and Paolo Mancini, seen in pink rabbit suits earlier this year in the E1 release, again star together as childhood friends who run against each other to be mayor of their small hometown.

Michael directs from a script co-written with Mancini. Boutique Films — the distribution spin-off of Darius Films, which was behind Hank and Mike — will distribute in Canada. The picture is produced through Buck Productions and Fella Films.

The cast is rounded out by Mike Beaver and Jane McLean, in best friend and wife roles, and by DJ Qualls and Henry Winkler in unspecified roles. It shoots in Burk’s Falls — a small town near Algonquin Provincial Park — through October.