VANCOUVER: The makers of Legend of Earthsea and Snow Queen are returning to British Columbia for another imaginative long-form project - and go to camera later this month with the $19-million miniseries Tin Man.

Producers Robert Halmi Sr. and Robert Halmi Jr. of RH International - having bought the business back from Hallmark Entertainment last year - have re-teamed with their frequent Vancouver partners, producers Matthew and Michael O'Connor of Reunion Pictures, on the six-hour show for Sci Fi Channel in the U.S.

Three months of production in B.C.'s Lower Mainland begin at the end of March. Standing 3D sets are being constructed at a Burnaby studio.

In this new take on L. Frank Baum's oft-mined classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, a revamped Dorothy character (Zooey Deschanel of Elf, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) treks through the fantasy world of the Outer Zone (O.Z.). Along the way, she is joined by Alan Cumming (X2: X-Men United), as a Scarecrow-esque character, a wolverine-like creature longing for inner courage, and Neil McDermott (EastEnders), as Cain, a vengeance-seeking former policeman, known as a Tin Man for his tin badge.

Richard Dreyfuss (Poseidon) and those evil monkey bats also put in appearances.

Nick Willing (Jason and the Argonauts, Alice in Wonderland) directs, working with cowriters/exec producers Steven Long Mitchell (The Pretender) and Craig Van Sickle (The Pretender).

Vancouver's Anthem Visual Effects, led by president Lee Wilson, who is a former partner with Matthew O'Connor in the defunct Sextant Entertainment, is handling the CGI.

Tin Man is scheduled to air on Sci Fi in December.