Crave’s ‘Yaga’ Casts Heated Rivalry’s Hudson Williams, Carrie-Anne Moss

“Heated Rivalry” star Hudson Williams isn’t straying too far from Crave, signing on to star in the Bell Media-owned Canadian streamer’s upcoming half-hour drama series “Yaga,” along with fellow stars Carrie-Anne Moss (“The Matrix), Noah Reid (“Schitt’s Creek”) and Clark Backo (“Letterkenny”).

“Yaga” is based on the hit play by Canadian playwright Kat Sandler, who will serve as writer and showrunner on the eight-episode TV series. The small town mystery thriller, which reimagines the myth of Baba Yaga, comes from Front Street Pictures and Blink49 Studios in partnership with Crave. Production is underway on the series, which is co-directed by David Frazee and Rachel Talalay.

“Yaga” would rep the first-ever half-hour drama Crave original series; the show will be shopped at next week’s London TV Screenings via international distributor Sphere Abacus (which will also offer the show as four one-hour episodes). The production of “Yaga” comes on the heels of the surprise global success of “Heated Rivalry,” which put Crave Originals on the radar (and in the U.S. became a hit for HBO Max, which had acquired that series domestically in a last-minute deal).

“Featuring a truly exceptional cast, this series marks another exciting collaboration with Blink49 Studios,” said Justin Stockman, Bell Media’s vice president, content development & programming, in a statement. “We’re thrilled to bring Kat Sandler’s bold vision to Crave with this first-ever half-hour drama, and to continue setting the bar for genre-bending, unexpected storytelling.”

Per the logline, “Yaga” centers on Rapp (Noah Reid), “a private investigator who arrives in a small coastal town to investigate the disappearance of a young heir to a powerful fishery, Henry Park (Hudson Williams). He finds himself at odds with an apprehensive local detective, Carson (Clark Backo), a charismatic university professor with a taste for younger men, Katherine (Carrie-Anne Moss), and a labyrinth of enigmatic suspects, secret lives, and ancient magic.”

“’Yaga’ has evolved from myth to stage to my first greenlit series, reclaiming the wicked witch and reshaping her as an incendiary feminist antihero for our time,” Sandler said. “It reflects the kind of storytelling I love: propulsive, accessible, dark, funny, and unapologetically bold. I’m incredibly excited to bring Crave’s first-ever half-hour drama to life alongside longtime collaborator Mackenzie Donaldson, Front Street Pictures, Blink49, and Bell Media.”

“Yaga” also comes following an investment Bell Media made in Blink49 Studios last June. Blink49 and Bell Media have also collaborated on scripted series “Don’t Even,” “Late Bloomer,” “Sight Unseen” and “The Trades,” as well as docuseries “Queen of the Castle.”

“’Yaga’ is the kind of ambitious, genre-smashing storytelling we’re proud to support,” said Blink49 Studios scripted television VP Mackenzie Donaldson. “Bringing Kat Sandler’s singular and fearless voice to the screen for the first time is a thrill. This is a story that is truly unique and unmistakably hers – fresh, contemporary reimagining of a classic myth brought to life by an exceptional cast and creative collaborators.”

“Yaga” is executive produced by Donaldson, Andrew Miller and Moss and produced by Charles Cooper.

Moss is repped by Hodgson Management Group, Kleinberg Lange Cuddy & Carlo LLP, and Viewpoint, Inc; Reid is represented by GGA and Circle Management + Production; Backo is repped by IAG and Linden Entertainment; and Williams is repped by CAA and RED Management.