Dragons headed to the U.S.

When Shark Tank, the Dragons’ Den-like reality series, debuts on ABC in the fall it will feature two Canadian venture capital celebrities who have appeared on all three seasons of the hit CBC series.

Dragons’ Kevin O’Leary and Robert Herjavec have been hired by producer Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Apprentice), and are set to begin production on the U.S. version in the summer, after wrapping production on season four of CBC’s in June.

The series, which like Dragons’ is lifted from a format owned by Sony Pictures Television, pits budding entrepreneurs against each other as they pitch their ideas to established business moguls. Shark Tank will debut in the fall following a 10th anniversary edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

Joining O’Leary and Herjavec on Shark Tank are infomercial expert Kevin Harrington, real estate tycoon Barbara Corcoran and Fubu sportswear founder Daymond John.

‘We’re proud of the franchise that we have established in Canada over the last three years… it’s a testament to the success of Dragons’ Den and the format that our Canadian dragons would be asked to participate in the U.S. version,’ commented CBC programming boss Kirstine Layfield in a release.