CBC, Muse Entertainment and Back Alley Film Productions just announced that Academy Award and Golden Globe award-winning actress Anna Paquin (True Blood, Roots, Margaret, Alias Grace) will star in Bellevue, a new one-hour drama series premiering on CBC in winter 2017. Actors Allen Leech (Downton Abbey, The Imitation Game, Rome) and Shawn Doyle (House of Cards, Big Love, Fargo) will star alongside Paquin in the series.
Filming of Bellevue begins September 19th in and around Montreal.
Thrilling and eerie, Bellevue is a mystery set in a small blue-collar town with a lot of ‘good people’ who ‘live right’ and take it upon themselves to make sure the neighbours do too. Driving the series is Detective Annie Ryder (Paquin), a cop whose intense and brazen personality has always been at odds with her hometown. When a transgender teen goes missing, Annie dives in to unravel the disappearance that suggests foul play, despite finding herself in a difficult position as she must cast suspicion on people she has known all her life. As the case pulls her further away from her family, she is also confronted by a mysterious person from her past with disturbing answers and a terrifying need to get inside her head. Leech will star as Annie’s on again, off again ex, Eddie, while Doyle will take on the role of Annie’s superior, Police Chief Peter Welland.
“Bellevue is a bold addition to CBC’s drama slate,” said Sally Catto, general manager of programming at CBC Television, in a press release. “This series is a prime example of the distinct, premium storytelling we strive to deliver our audiences, anchored by extraordinary talent both behind and on the screen.”
Award-winning actress Anna Paquin is best known for her seven-season starring role as Sookie Stackhouse in the hit series True Blood. Born in Canada and raised in New Zealand, Paquin began acting at the age of 11 with her breakout role in The Piano, which earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, making her the second youngest winner in Oscar history. She has since had a successful career, boasting high profile roles in the X-Men film franchise, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, The Squid and The Whale; 25th Hour; Finding Forester; Almost Famous; Amistad; Buffalo Soldiers; A Walk on the Moon; Fly Away Home; Jane Eyre; The Romantics; Margaret; Straight A’s; and HISTORY’s remake of Roots. Paquin also stars in the upcoming CBC and Netflix mini-series Alias Grace.
“Anna Paquin is the perfect actress to bring this brilliant and complex detective to life,” said Executive Producer Michael Prupas, president of Muse Entertainment. “Anna, Allen Leech and Shawn Doyle are internationally recognized actors whose strong talents will draw audiences from across the globe into the rich world of Bellevue.”
“We are so excited by Anna’s passion and enthusiasm for the series and know that she’ll bring her signature artistry to this deliciously fraught and driven character,” said Executive Producers Janis Lundman and Adrienne Mitchell of Back Alley Film Productions.
Photo: Winston Burris/WENN.com
