Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana, along with Lambur Productions, announced today that production is underway on a new live-action Canadian original series, The Hardy Boys (13x60min). Based on Edward Stratemeyer’s bestselling classic children’s books, the mystery-drama features the principal characters in their teen years. Production for the teen series continues to shoot in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area until January 2020.
Slated to premiere on YTV in Canada and premium streaming platform Hulu in the U.S. next year, the hour-long serialized action-packed series stars an all-Canadian main cast including James Tupper (Big Little Lies) as Hardy boys’ father ‘Fenton Hardy,’ Rohan Campbell (Mech-X4) as ‘Frank Hardy,’ and Alexander Elliot (Detention Adventure) as ‘Joe Hardy.’ The Hardy Boys joins Hulu’s established library of licensed and original book-to-television adaptations including The Handmaids Tale, Looking For Alaska, Killing Eve and Friday Night Lights.
“Given today’s trend of reimagining classic series, we realized what a hidden gem The Hardy Boys was within Nelvana’s vast catalogue.” said Pam Westman, President, Nelvana. “YTV and Hulu are the perfect partners to help bring the series back to North American viewers, and we’re excited to be working with them as well as the talented team at Lambur Productions to bring a new take on this beloved coming-of-age story.”
“While we’re excited to bring a fresh new take on The Hardy Boys, we also wanted to evoke a sense of nostalgia. The series remains true to the quintessential Hardy Boys themes of brotherly love, friendship, and of course, mystery solving,” said Joan Lambur, Executive Producer and President, Lambur Productions. “We’re happy to partner with Nelvana and are thrilled with the brilliant performances from our talented cast and incredible creative team.”
After the tragic death of their mother, Frank Hardy, 16, and his brother Joe, 12, are moved from the big city to their mother’s hometown of Bridgeport for the summer. Their father, Fenton, is convinced his wife Laura’s death was no accident and leaves the boys with their aunt as he chases down a lead. Frank and Joe set out to solve the mystery themselves only to find the secret runs deeper than they could have ever imagined. The task of fitting into their new environment is made even harder when the boys begin to believe their mother’s killer is in Bridgeport and suddenly everyone in town is a suspect!
The Hardy Boys is executive produced by Joan Lambur; Peter Mohan, who also serves as head writer; and Jason Stone, who also serves as lead director. Madeleine Lambur serves as creative producer and Paula Smith is Supervising Producer. For Corus and Nelvana, Kathleen Meek is production executive and Doug Murphy, Pam Westman, and Athena Georgaklis are executive producers.
