TORONTO — A TV project once backed by The Sopranos star James Gandolfini has been given the green light by CBS — and it will be shot in Canada.
The pilot for Taxi 22, a comedy about an opinionated New York cab driver, is scheduled to be shot in Toronto from March 28 to April 6.
It is a reboot of the French-Canadian series Taxi 0-22 that starred Patrick Huard and ran for four seasons on Quebec’s TVA from 2007 to 2009.
Gandolfini’s production company secured the rights to the concept in 2010 with plans to make a U.S. version for HBO. The cable network eventually dropped Taxi 22 but the project was picked up by CBS last May — only weeks before Gandolfini died of a heart attack.
Huard and his manager François Flamand — who co-produced the Quebec series — will be among the producers of the U.S. version.
Toronto’s Whizbang Films (Reign, Beauty & the Beast) is responsible for the pilot, which will be executive produced by Tad Quill (Spin City, Scrubs).
No casting details have been announced.
If picked up by CBS, the series would debut during the 2014-15 TV season.
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