‘Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent’ Announces Cast on First Original International Franchise Adaptation
Variety reports that “Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent” announced the cast for its initial season at MIPCOM on Monday, confirming six full-time leads for the Canadian iteration of the longest-running scripted drama brand in TV history.
The all-Canadian cast includes Aden Young (“Rectify”) as Det. Sgt. Henry Graff, Kathleen Munroe (“City on Fire”) as Det. Sgt. Frankie Bateman, Karen Robinson (“Schitt’s Creek”) as Inspector Vivienne Holness, K.C. Collins (“The Cleaning Lady”) as Deputy Crown Attorney Theo Forrester, Nicola Correia-Damude (“Shadowhunters”) as Forensic Pathologist Dr. Lucy Da Silva, and Araya Mengesha (“Anne with an E”) as tech expert Mark Yohannes.
Rogers Sports & Media confirmed the series last June following a two-year development period. The show is currently halfway through production in Toronto on its 10-episode first season.
Along with the series’ casting, the show confirmed award-winning filmmaker Holly Dale (“Law & Order SVU”) will direct the first episode along with Episode 3 and the finale. Other first-season directors include Peter Stebbings, David Wellington, Sudz Sutherland, Rachel Leiterman, Winnifred Jong, Sharon Lewis and David Straiton.
This is the first time an international iteration of “Law & Order” has been developed with entirely new characters and stories. (Other international formats have retooled original concepts in new locations and/or with new cast playing versions of the same characters.)
“It was challenging, just to deliver what audiences are so familiar with — and to follow a formula or a recipe — but then make it your own,” says Erin Haskett, executive producer and president of Lark Productions (which has a distribution and development deal with Universal International Studios).
“It’s finding the right first story to tell in a franchise this well known,” adds showrunner Tassie Cameron (“Rookie Blue”), who executive produces alongside her sister Amy Cameron (“Mary Kills People”) from their banner Cameron Pictures Inc. “You want it to be a Canadian story, feel like it’s ripped from a Canadian headline and feel like it’s highlighting Toronto. So it’s picking the right story to tell, but it’s also learning how to write these scripts.”
Over the first season, the show exclusively showcases Canadian talent, from the crew to the guest stars, and will stick to Canadian stories and locations.