The team behind newly launched Undisputed Pictures knows Canada’s value lies beyond acting as a service hub for U.S. productions.

The Toronto and L.A.-based prodco is founded by Canadian producer Joel Reilly and former Toronto Raptors player Patrick Patterson, with plans to develop, finance and produce film and television projects.

The company has four films and one series in development and nearly every project has a Canadian connection, according to Reilly.

Film projects include the recently announced Canada/Japan copro Rain Who Kills Alone, with Adam Kane (Prodigal Son) attached to direct a script penned by Canadian writer William Josef Schneider (Corto Maltese), which is currently in the casting process and expected to shoot in Vancouver and Japan in fall 2022.

They’re also in development on the biopic Dock, about baseball player Dock Ellis’ struggles with mental health and addiction, with Oscar-nominated producer David Permut (Hacksaw Ridge), Ice Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz (Unstoppable).

The company’s strategy in Canada is twofold, according to Reilly. Financially, they aim to capitalize on the tax credits available across Canada, and creatively, they’re invested in tapping into the domestic talent pool. “Our goal is to develop new talent and Canada has some of the best, whether it be through writing, directing or cinematography,” Reilly tells Playback Daily.

The bulk of Reilly’s experience as a producer is in commercial production, but during the pandemic he landed an opportunity to help finance the film North of Normal, directed by Carly Stone and produced by Jonathan Bronfman and Kyle Mann. Reilly and Patterson served as executive producers.

The company is currently building up its roster of Canadian partners, including actor and director Adam MacDonald and Integral Artists co-founder Ben Silverman. Reilly says they’re also in development on another project with Bronfman and producer Owen Kelly about the Black Donnellys, one of the most high-profile mass murder cases in Canadian history.

Reilly says Undisputed Pictures plans to use their international connections to strengthen ties between Canadian producers and the rest of the world, opening the possibility for more coproductions. They’re also looking to create new opportunities for emerging filmmakers, with details to come at a later date.