#FIRSTLOOK: “HATE THE PLAYER: THE BEN JOHNSON STORY” IN PRODUCTION

Award-winning comedy entertainment studio and 360-degree brand marketing leader New Metric Media, in association with Bay Mills Studios, is excited to announce that new original comedic miniseries HATE THE PLAYER: THE BEN JOHNSON STORY is off the blocks and running. Anthem Sports & Entertainment’s linear network GameTV has commissioned the six-episode series and will be its exclusive cable home in Canada, while Paramount+ in Canada, which developed the series with New Metric, will be its exclusive streaming platform in the country. Shamier Anderson (John Wick 4, Invasion – seen above) stars as Ben Johnson and will also serve as an Executive Producer for Bay Mills Studios.

HATE THE PLAYER: THE BEN JOHNSON STORY is Canadian sprinter Johnson’s definitely-not-biased account of the doping controversy that rocked the 1988 Olympics when he tested positive for banned steroid use, going from hero to zero in 9.79 seconds in what some called “The Dirtiest Race in History”. The series takes a revealing and satirical look at the events surrounding the legendary race and the scandal behind the scandal. New Metric Media identified and put the project together, entering into development on the series with Paramount+ in Canada in 2023.

The series is created by BAFTA-winning and Emmy-nominated writer Anthony Q. Farrell (The Office, Shelved, Run the Burbs), who serves as showrunner and Executive Producer. New Metric Media CEO Mark Montefiore (Letterkenny, Shoresy, Children Ruin Everything) and director R.T. Thorne will also executive produce, alongside Anderson and Stephan James for Bay Mills Studio. Lana Maclin and Max Wolfond serve as Producer and Supervising Producer, respectively, for New Metric. Thorne (The Porter) and Cory Bowles (Trailer Park Boys) are set to direct.

Series star Shamier Anderson can currently be seen in the massively successful John Wick 4, as well as Simon Kinberg’s Invasion on AppleTV+, which will launch its third season later this year. He also starred opposite Paul Walter Hauser in IFC Films’ The Luckiest Man in America, which premiered at TIFF 2024.

“Everyone thinks they know the story of Ben Johnson and the scandal that has followed him since the 1988 Olympics, but they won’t know what hit them with HATE THE PLAYER,” said Shamier Anderson. “For me, this hits differently. I grew up in Scarborough, where Ben trained, where his name still echoes. He was a hometown legend. Yes complicated, but also someone people rooted for. Being able to step into his shoes, especially with a lens that blends comedy and Ben’s point of view, means a lot. And getting to do it alongside New Metric Media, who’ve been killing it in comedy, is a real honour, not just as an actor, but as an executive producer with my company, Bay Mills Studios.”

Anderson is represented by OAZ, Mosaic, CAA and Jackoway Austen Tyerman. Farrell is represented by Sheree Guitar Entertainment, Ambition Talent and Jonathan Shikora (LGN Law).

“From the outset, we knew two things to be true. One, people knew what Ben Johnson did to the world, but not what the world did to Ben Johnson. And two, if we were lucky enough to tell this story, that Shamier Anderson had to play Ben. Full stop,” said New Metric Media CEO Mark Montefiore. “Anthony’s take on the story is inventive, hilarious, completely irreverent and we are proud to be working with GameTV and Paramount+, who have shown nothing but giant cajónes in supporting this project.”

“This marks an exciting milestone for GameTV, giving us the unique opportunity to present a major original Canadian program offering on our network,” said Maria Donatelli, Vice President of Programming, GameTV. “HATE THE PLAYER embodies the bold, genre-busting storytelling we’re proud to champion. It’s a fearless, fast-paced comedy that dares to reimagine a moment in Canadian sports history with sharp wit and wild energy, we look forward to sharing it with our viewers.”

“From announcing the development of New Metric’s HATE THE PLAYER at Banff in 2023 to now partnering with Anthem Sports & Entertainment’s GameTV for the greenlight, we’re excited to see this bold, comedic take on an iconic Canadian story move to production,” said Vanessa Case, Vice President of Content at Paramount+ and Pluto TV Canada. “Paramount+ is proud to have championed this project from the start, and this collaboration marks an exciting and innovative model for us — a streamer joining forces with a linear broadcaster to deliver compelling Canadian content to even broader audiences and providing another sustainable model for the Canadian production community.”

Set to debut on GameTV and Paramount+ in Canada simultaneously in early 2026, HATE THE PLAYER: THE BEN JOHNSON STORY is being produced with participation from Ben Johnson and is inspired by extensive research conducted by Canadian author and journalist, Mary Ormsby. Principal photography begins on June 20, 2025, at Dark Slope Studios in Toronto. New Metric Media is distributing the miniseries internationally.