Lionsgate has unveiled the title and broadcaster of the series it plans to shoot in Edmonton, and will put Fear Itself before the cameras for NBC this winter.

The horror series is the first production in a two-year deal worth almost $9 million, according to reports, that LG inked with the province in July. Although the company’s publicists would not confirm the value of the deal, Playback Daily reported at the time that the city would kick in $3.5 million, with the province throwing in an additional $5.4 million.

The show has been picked up stateside by NBC for a 13-episode run, with preproduction slated to begin in December. The idea is to get celebrated horror filmmakers to each do an original 60-minute episode, which will air in summer 2008.

It is similar to Masters of Horror, which Fear producers Keith Addis, Andrew Deane and Mick Garris made for Showtime in 2005. That series, also shot in Canada, featured episodes directed by such genre giants as Dario Argento, John Carpenter and Takashi Miike.

Both the network and Lionsgate believe the show is well-positioned for a successful summertime run.

‘This is a different deal model that allows us to broadcast an increasingly popular form of storytelling and provides NBC with genre entertainment that appeals to younger audiences,’ said NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios co-chairman Ben Silverman in a press release. ‘Our goal is to produce more scripted programming in the summer for year-round programming — and everyone knows how well horror movies perform in summer — so we’re taking bold new steps with these acclaimed filmmakers.’