Sarah Wayne Callies and Michael Shanks join CBC/Sundance TV miniseries Unspeakable
CBC and Sundance TV have announced their upcoming miniseries on the tainted blood scandal of the 1980s. Unspeakable is from creator and executive producer Robert C. Cooper and will chronicle the emergence of HIV and Hepatitis C in Canada in the early 1980s and the tragedy that resulted after thousands of people were infected by tainted blood.
It is based on the first-person experience and non-fiction books Bad Blood by Vic Parsons and The Gift of Death by Andre Picard. The blood scandal was one of the largest medical disasters in Canadian history as it triggered a federal inquiry and precedent-setting lawsuit resulting in billions of dollars in compensation to victims.
Sarah Wayne Callies (The Walking Dead) and Michael Shanks (Saving Hope) have been cast as the lead roles for the eight-part dramatic miniseries along with Shawn Doyle (Bellevue) and Camille Sullivan (The Man in the High Castle). The miniseries is set to begin production this spring in Vancouver, B.C. and will broadcast on CBC in Canada and SundanceTV in the U.S. AMC Studios will manage worldwide distribution outside of Canada. The miniseries is produced by Mezo Entertainment with Cooper and Meridian Artists’ Glenn Cockburn serving as executive producers. It is written by Cooper, Carl Binder, Adriana Capozzi and Lynn Coady with Cooper and Callies set to direct episodes.
Cooper, who has personally contracted Hepatitis C from tainted blood, expressed the importance of highlighting the impact this event had on many: “First and foremost, the series is about the emotional impact this terrible tragedy had. I couldn’t be more thrilled to have such incredibly talented people committed to bringing our lead characters to life.”
The miniseries has no premiere date as of yet.
(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
