Netflix has greenlit an untitled supernatural creature series from Jesse McKeown, a veteran screenwriter on hit TV series like The Umbrella Academy and 19-2.
Danielle Woodrow and Tara Woodbury, directors of content for Netflix Canada, said of the commission on Thursday: “Jesse’s bold, ambitious vision offers thrills galore, with the heart of a family drama. We can’t wait to transport our members to coastal Newfoundland with this timely story about community, resilience and adaptability.”
McKeown’s TV writing credits include The Big Charade, Robson Arms, Rogue, Republic of Doyle and DaVinci’s Inquest. The Canadian limited series will be set and be shot in Newfoundland, on the country’s Atlantic coast as the six-parter will center on a mysterious sea creature terrorizing a remote town, with a hard-bitten fisherman having to fight to protect his family, his community and his vanishing way of life.
Laura Churchill, CEO of Picture NL, which markets the east coast Canadian province to U.S. and foreign producers as a destination for original series, welcomed Netflix bringing its new series to her backyard. “The province’s breathtaking landscapes, skilled crews, and deep storytelling traditions make it the perfect setting for a project of this scale. We look forward to working with the team to showcase all that Newfoundland and Labrador has to offer,” she said in a statement.
McKeown created the limited series for Netflix and is the showrunner and executive producer of the Canadian indie. The writers are Karen Walton (Orphan Black), Perry Chafe and Natty Zavitz. Additional executive producers are Chris Hatcher (The Madness, Sweet Angel Baby and Sharon Hall (The Expanse, Utopia).
Besides shooting its own U.S.-originating originals in production hubs like Toronto and Vancouver, Netflix has partnered, often with the CBC, the country’s public broadcaster, on local dramas like Anne, based on the Anne of Green Gables novels, and Alias Grace, based on the Margaret Atwood novel of the same name.
More recently, Anna Lambe starred in the Arctic-set comedy North of North for Netflix and the CBC and APTN in Canada. And the video streaming giant has brought a slew of homegrown Canadian series like Schitt’s Creek, Kim’s Convenience and Workin’ Moms to a worldwide streaming audience.