The legendary witch of Slavic folklore, the one said to reside in a hut atop giant chicken legs in the middle of the forest, gets her rebrand.
Entertainment Weekly’s exclusive first look at Yaga reveals the main stars of the forthcoming TV series that revamps the tale of Baba Yaga as a contemporary mystery-thriller and whodunnit.
Showrunner, executive producer, and playwright Kat Sandler adapted her own theater piece for the small screen.
“Yaga began as a play with a cast of three in a 200-seat theater, reimagining the myth of Baba Yaga through a modern lens with a genre mashup of mystery and myth,” Sandler writes to EW over email. “It has since evolved into television as a collision of folklore, fairy tale, noir thriller, police procedural, horror, and feminist fantasy, while continuing to ask the question: What makes a witch?”
The drama gained immediate buzz with the casting reveal back in February, fueled by the involvement of a certain someone from a certain hit hockey romance. However, with a Comic-Con panel scheduled at the end of the week in San Diego, the team is ready to unveil a little more of what the ensemble has been working on.
Yaga stars Schitt’s Creek alum Noah Reid as Rapp, a private investigator who arrives in a small coastal town following the disappearance of a young heir to a powerful fishery.
Heated Rivalry breakout star Hudson Williams, plays the missing man, Henry Park. Clark Backo, an actress from Letterkenny (the previous TV comedy from Heated Rivalry showrunner Jacob Tierney), plays Carson, an apprehensive local detective at odds with Rapp
Carrie-Anne Moss of The Matrix fame rounds out the principal stars as Katherine, a charismatic university professor. The story unfolds across “a labyrinth of enigmatic suspects, secret lives, and ancient magic,” according to a plot description
Moss previously teased that she gets to “make out” with Williams on the show, calling the actor “a serious gentleman.” One of the images offers a peek at that character dynamic between Katherine and Henry.
Also spotted is actress Sheila McCarthy (The Miniature Wife) as Olena Yaha, described as “a cheeky and wise local woman, originally from Ukraine, who has a soft spot for younger men, vodka, and hallucinogenics.”
The first half-hour original drama from Canadian streaming platform Crave will be distributed in the U.S. via AMC+. A premiere is scheduled for the fall.
Sandler goes on to praise the “Canadian Avengers-level cast” of the lead quartet.
“The chef’s kiss is getting to share this wild story with audiences around the world (soon!)” she writes. “Expanding it for television has only made it wilder, and we can’t wait to welcome you into the woods.”
Moss, Reid, Williams, and Backo were unveiled earlier this year at the apex of the Heated Rivalry craze. And with Williams’ involvement, physical copies of the source material rapidly sold out online. Now back in stock on Amazon, Sandler’s play remains a bestseller.
More will be revealed of Yaga this Saturday afternoon at San Diego Comic-Con, where Sandler will join cast members Reid, Backo, and Moss for a panel that includes a sneak preview.
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