SPACE, BBC America, and Temple Street Productions Announce Canadian-Born Actor Tatiana Maslany as the Lead in New Original Series ORPHAN BLACK

− From Temple Street Productions, ORPHAN BLACK begins production in Toronto this October −

"…the Regina-born actress could be the Next Big Thing." - Johanna Schneller, The Globe and Mail

To tweet this release: http://bit.ly/USKB0O

TORONTO, Sept. 17, 2012 /CNW/ - Bell Media's SPACE, BBC America, and Temple Street Productions today announced that rising star and Canadian-born actor Tatiana Maslany (Cas & Dylan, Picture Day, The Vow, and FLASHPOINT) is set to star in the new original series ORPHAN BLACK, produced by Temple Street Productions for SPACE and BBC America. The announcement was made as Maslany was feted for her starring role in the feature Picture Day, which received its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival^® (TIFF). The Genie and Gemini-nominated actor, who received the 2010 Sundance special jury prize for Grown Up Movie Star, is capturing the increasing attention of fans and industry elite alike, including recent critical acclaim from The Globe and Mail, Toronto Sun, and NOW Magazine. Set to begin production in Toronto this October, additional casting for the 10 episode series will be announced soon.

In ORPHAN BLACK, Maslany stars as Sarah, an outsider, orphan, and street-wise chameleon who has a murky past and tenuous future after she witnesses a woman's suicide. After deciding to assume the identity of the dead stranger who looks just like her, Sarah learns the dizzying truth - that she and the dead woman are clones. As Sarah searches for answers, she discovers another chilling fact: there are more clones out there. They are all genetically identical individuals who were planted in unsuspecting birth parents and nurtured in completely different circumstances. They have no idea who created them - or why - but they need to discover the reason in a hurry. An assassin is killing them, one by one. 

"We are extremely excited about ORPHAN BLACK, and as soon as we saw Tatiana perform, we knew she would be perfect," said Corrie Coe, Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. "Tatiana is an exceptionally fine actor, and her star is on the rise. We are confident that she will excel in this complex and compelling role, and that our audience will be fascinated by the chameleon qualities that she brings to the part."

"Tatiana possesses all the intensity, charm and range that this complex role requires," said Perry Simon, General Manager, Channels, BBC Worldwide America. "She has all the makings of a breakout star."

"We have always recognized Tatiana as an extraordinary talent. We have worked with her previously on BEING ERICA and cast her as the lead in The Nativity for the CBC/ BBC. Tatiana embodies all the qualities this unique lead demands and we can't wait to see her bring the role of Sarah to life," said David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg, Co-Presidents of Temple Street Productions.

About Tatiana Maslany
A Regina, Saskatchewan-born actor now living in Toronto, Maslany is a rising star who has been acting for over 15 years in film, television, theatre, and radio. In that time, she has amassed an incredibly impressive resume with leading roles in many features. Her starring role in Grown Up Movie Star opposite Shawn Doyle competed at Sundance 2010 and garnered her the special jury prize for 'Breakout Star' at the festival as well as a Genie Award nomination. Her recent feature credits include The Vow, opposite Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum; Geoffrey Fletcher's directorial debut Violet And Daisy, opposite Saoirse Ronan and Alexis Bledel, which premiered at TIFF 2011; a lead role in Sean Garrity's improvisational feature Blood Pressure opposite Jake Epstein; and Entitled with Ray Liotta, Victor Garber, and Kevin Zegers. Some of Maslany's television credits include WORLD WITHOUT END, based on the novel by Ken Follett; her Gemini Award-nominated performance in NATIVITY, directed by Coky Giedroyc; CERTAIN PREY opposite Mark Harmon; as well as her Gemini Award-winning performances on BLOODLETTING AND MIRACULOUS CURES and FLASHPOINT.

ORPHAN BLACK is executive produced by Ivan Schneeberg and David Fortier (Being Erica), Graeme Manson (Cube, FLASHPOINT) and John Fawcett (SPARTACUS, THE SECRET CIRCLE). The series is co-created by Manson and Fawcett, with Manson also serving as writer and Fawcett as director. BBC Worldwide will distribute the series internationally.

ORPHAN BLACK is produced by Temple Street Productions in association with Bell Media and BBC America. Production Executives are Trish Williams and Gosia Kamela. Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. Catherine MacLeod is Vice-President, Specialty Channels, Bell Media. Rick Brace is President, Specialty Channels and CTV Production. Phil King is President, CTV Programming and Sports.

About Temple Street Productions
Temple Street Productions is a leading producer of television, film and digital media content based in Toronto, Canada. A selection of Temple Street's past and present projects includes: BEING ERICA (CBC, SOAPnet), WINGIN'IT (Family Channel), OVER THE RAINBOW (CBC), RECIPE TO RICHES (Food Network, Global), COVER ME CANADA (CBC), BILLABLE HOURS (Global, Showcase), CANADA'S NEXT TOP MODEL (CTV), HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE MARIA? (CBC), QUEER AS FOLK (Showtime, Showcase), and DARCY'S WILD LIFE (NBC, Discovery Kids, Family Channel). For more company information www.templestreetproductions.com, twitter @TempleStreet or connect with us on Facebook.

About BBC America
BBC AMERICA delivers U.S. audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction like Doctor Who. Owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including an Emmy®, five Golden Globes® and ten Peabody Awards. The channel attracts one of cable's most affluent and educated audiences and is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 79 million homes. It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms. Online, www.bbcamerica.com is the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist. Find out more by visiting www.press.bbcamerica.com or follow us on www.twitter.com/bbcamerica.

About SPACE
SPACE is Canada's national science fiction, horror and fantasy channel. SPACE is truly the station for all those who dare to challenge their imagination. SPACE is a division of Bell Media, which is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. For more information about SPACE, visit spacecast.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
SPACE on Facebook
SPACE on Twitter
Tatiana Maslany on Twitter

SOURCE: SPACE

Natalie Cole, SPACE, 416. 384.2140 or [email protected]
Christy Sullivan, SPACE, 416.384.3624 or [email protected]