Canada’s CityTV, together with Shaftesbury and Pope Productions, have greenlighted Rex, an English-language adaptation of the long-running German dog-and-cop series Rex, a Cop’s Best Friend.
Beta Film, which held rights for the original German series, will handle international sales on the new show, which it will be shopping to buyers at MIPCOM next week.
The first eight-episode season of Rex, starring John Reardon, Mayko Nguyen and Enrico Colantoni, has begun shooting in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
The original Rex, a Cop’s Best Friend ran for 18 seasons and was a ratings hit across continental Europe. It aired in 125 countries worldwide, making it one of the most successful European series of all time. The family-friendly procedural focuses on a police detective who solves crimes with his dedicated former K9 officer Rex.
Reardon stars as Detective Charlie Hudson in the new, English-language version, Nguyen plays chief of forensics Sarah Truong and Colantoni plays superintendent Joseph De Luca. Rex is played by Diesel, a former Canadian Kennel Club grand champion.
Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie, Paul Pope, Ken Cuperus and Avrum Jacobson will executive produce Rex, with Laura Harbin as supervising producer and Julie Lacey as producer. Friedemann Goez and Oliver Bachert will exec produce for Beta Film.
