VANCOUVER – CBC Television and Thunderbird Films today announced that production is underway in Vancouver on The Quality of Life – A Dominic Da Vinci Movie.
The special two-hour television movie follows the popular Dominic Da Vinci franchise (Da Vinci’s Inquest, Da Vinci City Hall) and picks up where City Hall left off. The Quality of Life will air during the fall 2007 season on CBC Television and in 2008 on Showcase.
"Dominic Da Vinci has become a true Canadian icon, and we jumped at the chance to bring him back to television audiences,” said Kirstine Layfield, executive director of network programming, CBC-TV, in a release. “We are thrilled with the screenplay and look forward to its broadcast premiere.”
Da Vinci’s Inquest debuted in Canada on the CBC in 1998 and the series’ 91 episodes ran until 2005. It has earned praise from critics worldwide and has been honoured with 32 industry awards and 53 nominations, including 18 Geminis, five Leos and five Writers Guild of Canada Awards. A 13-episode spin-off of the crime series Da Vinci’s City Hall ran until 2006.
Additionally, as reported last week, the Da Vinci franchise has had tremendous success in the U.S. since its debut in 2005. Cleared in 98% of the country, the series reaches over four million viewers a week in the U.S. and continues to grow in popularity and to deliver solid ratings during its second year of syndication.
The Quality of Life once again teams up writer/creator Chris Haddock with Alan DiFiore and Nicholas Campbell, who will reprise his role of Dominic Da Vinci. Directed by John Fawcett, the television movie will also star fellow City Hall alum, Ben Ratner and Patrick Gallagher.
In this continuing story, Dominic Da Vinci and his fellow politicians become peripheral witnesses to a scandalous murder that happens, ironically, during a big city “crime” conference hosted by Da Vinci for mayors from across the country. With each attendee revealing only a piece of the puzzle, Da Vinci must not only solve the crime, but convince his fellow city leaders of their responsibility to be proactive in protecting their citizens.
