Winnipeg’s Eagle Vision has partnered with actor-writer-producer Paul Spence on an action comedy inspired by his original character Dean Murdoch.

Deaner ’89 is now in production in Winnipeg, and is scheduled to wrap on June 15. It is directed by Sam McGlynn, who is currently executive creative director at Vancouver VFX company Method Studios, and previously was creative director at video game studio Electronic Arts.

Spence (pictured middle) wrote the screenplay, and also stars and produces under his Quebec-based banner PSA Productions. Eagle Vision’s Kyle Irving is also producing.

Eagle Vision’s Lisa Meeches and Rebecca Gibson are executive producers, and Mongrel Media is the Canadian distributor.

The cast includes Canadian comedy icons Mary Walsh (This Hour Has 22 Minutes; pictured left) and Kevin McDonald (The Kids in the Hall; pictured right), as well as Will Sasso (MADtv), Star Slade (Burden of Truth) and Maddy Foley (The Boys).

The film serves as an origin story for original character Dean Murdoch, who discovers his Métis heritage after his father’s death. He begins to rebel against his blue collar life after listening to his late dad’s heavy metal albums.

Spence previously portrayed the character in the 2002 film Fubar, as well as a 2010 sequel and a 2017 series on Viceland. However, this film is not connected to the Fubar franchise, a spokesperson confirmed to Playback Daily. Spence owns the rights to the original character.

Financial support for Deaner ’89 has been provided by Telefilm Canada, Eagle Vision, Mongrel Media, the Indigenous Screen Office and Manitoba Film and Music. The film’s budget is $8 million.

“I’d always wanted to explore the comedic potential of Dean’s background, but it wasn’t until I started including elements of my own family’s history that I started to get really excited about telling this story,” said Spence in a statement. “My father’s Métis heritage was hidden from him until after his parents passed away, and once this became the cornerstone of the plot, everything else fell into place.”

Photo of Mary Walsh by David Howells; photo of Paul Spence by Darren Curtis; photo by Kevin McDonald by Leif Norman