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EXCLUSIVE: Canada‘s Bell Media and Blink49 Studios person struck a first-look woody pinch Canadian showrunner and writer Celeste Parr and her company, Punctuation Media.
The woody is underway pinch We Never Happened, an hour-long romanticist play based connected an original thought from Ethel writer Parr housed astatine Heated Rivalry commissioner Bell and Wild Cards shaper Blink49. No further specifications from nan show were revealed beyond that it is billed arsenic a “gripping romanticist thriller” and a “global story.”
Parr launched Toronto-based Punctuation successful 2024 pinch media exec Oliver Kane to create and support a slate of original scripted titles for nan world marketplace. She already has Emily VanCamp-starring play bid Prejudice successful pinch Bell, a accumulation made successful business pinch Neshama Entertainment and Fox Entertainment Global, arsenic we first reported on successful April 2024 anterior to nan network’s involvement.
Parr was astir precocious a writer and showrunner for Season 3 of CBC’s anthology bid Plan B, for which she was nominated for a 2026 Canadian Screen Award for Best Drama Series. Her 2nd characteristic film, Ethel, is group for accumulation successful 2027 starring Shira Haas and Sarah Paulson and comes from Sphere Films.
“Since we first publication Prejudice, we’ve ever believed successful Celeste’s seemingly effortless expertise to bring complex, nuanced, and compelling female characters live connected nan page,” said Carlyn Klebuc, Original Programming astatine Bell.
“We Never Happened introduces america to a wholly original, strong, and analyzable female lead successful sexy caller romanticist drama, and we’re thrilled to denote this first-look deal and develop this bid pinch our partners.”
Kane, Punctuation’s President and executive producer, added: “We Never Happened is a fitting first bid to move done this business because it embodies each pillar of what we’re building astatine Punctuation. It’s propulsive and sexy, but it’s besides thematically rich | and emotionally layered successful a measurement that rewards adjacent viewing. Celeste has thoughtfully built a world communicative that still feels intimate, and we’re proud that this is nan task declaring nan benignant of eager tv we’re mounting retired to make pinch Bell Media and Blink49 Studios.”
The news comes arsenic Banff World Media Festival gets underway this week. The arena is Canada’s largest TV gathering, pinch today’s keynotes including CRTC’s Vicky Eatrides addressing plans to betterment nan country’s tv taxation break strategy and Netflix’s Jinny Howe delivering a keynote.
It besides follows the announcement of Bell’s 2026/27 slate, including a TV type of classical drama Meatballs from Blink49 and Incendo for streamer Crave. TV and streaming elephantine Bell is simply a part-owner of Canada- and nan U.S.-based Blink49, which itself has invested successful nan likes of Front Street Pictures, Pier21 Films and Lighthearted Entertainment.
“Celeste and Oliver are creating bold, unique tv that is some provocative and profoundly entertaining,” said Carolyn Newman, Executive Vice President, Global Scripted Programming astatine Blink49.
“We Never Happened is a gripping romanticist thriller that delivers connected nan committedness of nan genre. We’re thrilled to beryllium successful business pinch them, and to proceed building connected our beardown collaboration pinch Bell Media done this breathtaking task and what we cognize will beryllium galore much to travel under this announced first-look deal.”
Parr is represented by Carl Liberman astatine The Characters Talent Agency arsenic good arsenic Cathy King and Sam Hudson Brown astatine 42
