'24's Jon Cassar to Direct Canadian Futuristic Cop Drama Pilot

TORONTO - The Kennedys helmer/exec producer Jon Cassar has been tapped to direct the Canadian drama pilot Out of Time.

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Cassar, a Canadian native, will tackle Reunion Pictures’ female police procedural about a cop from the future who finds herself trapped in present day Vancouver.

The series, to start shooting in Vancouver in early 2012, will air on Showcase and be shopped worldwide by GK-TV.

No word on casting for Out of Time, which was created by Simon Barry, who shares executive producer credits with Jeff King, Tom Rowe and Patrick Williams.

The Canadian director of 24, Criminal Minds and Fringe has lots of experience helming homegrown dramas like Mutant X, Queen of Swords, Due South and Forever Knight.

Cassar’s latest project was Fox’s Terra Nova, where he shared executive producer credits with Steven Speilberg and Peter Chernin, oversaw production on the first 13 episodes shot in Queensland, Australia, and directed five episodes.

Cassar jumping on board the Out of Time pilot should shorten the odds on the Canadian police procedural snagging an American broadcast partner.

Showcase parent Shaw Media, which ordered ten one hour episodes of Out of Time, is co-producing the Canadian dramas Rookie Blue and Combat Hospital with ABC.

The futuristic Out of Time portrays a female cop, Kyra Cameron, who goes in search of nine of the most ruthless criminals from the year 2077 after they managed to escape execution through a rift in time.

Armed with advanced technology, Cameron’s most powerful weapon – a multi-tasking second skin that doubles as a communication device – malfunctions.

So Cameron calls for backup on her suit’s command frequency, and Alex Sadler, a high tech pro, responds to her call to return home – but not before she catches the terrorists before they change the course of the future forever.