Today, BBC America announced the start of production for their new original series Orphan Black. They've also made a number of casting additions to the project, which stars Tatiana Maslany as a woman who assumes the identity of a woman who commits suicide, and who happens to look just like her.
BBC America made the announcement about the start of production for Orphan Black, stating that shooting will take place on location and in studio in Toronto, Ontario through February 2013. They added that Maria Doyle Kennedy (The Tudors, Downton Abbey), Dylan Bruce (As the World Turns, The Bay), and Jordan Gavaris (Degrassi, Unnatural History) have joined Tatiana Maslany among the cast. Also set to star are Kevin Hanchard, Michael Mando, Elizabeth Saunders and Ron Lea.
After witnessing a woman’s suicide, Sarah assumes her identity hoping that cleaning out the dead woman’s bank account will solve all of her problems. Instead, the street smart chameleon is thrust headlong into a kaleidoscopic mystery. She makes the dizzying discovery that she and the dead woman are clones… but are they the only ones? With an assassin hot on her trail, Sarah is racing for answers.
Is there some kind of conspiracy or big secret set to be unraveled here? From the mentioned premise, it sounds like a mystery and thriller combined, with a bit of sci-fi worked in as well when factoring in the cloning. The sci-fi element may help Orphan Black fit in well at BBC America, which also airs Doctor Who. There's also the topic of "self-identity," which is mentioned by executive producer David Fortier…
"We're very excited to be working with Graeme and John on bringing Orphan Black to the screen. It's become a passion project that just happens to touch upon the very timely topic of self-identity. When we began working on this series, we were driven by the quality of the writing and the scope of the themes,” commented David Fortier, Executive Producer and Co-President, Temple Street Productions.
Also executive producing Orphan Black are Ivan Schneeberg, Graeme Manson and John Fawcett. Manson and Fawcett co-created the series, which is set to premiere in early 2013 as part of BBC America's Supernatural Saturday.
