Production has begun in Toronto on ‘Wayward‘, a limited series thriller from Canadian comedian Mae Martin, although this is very much an original blend of thriller, horror, and some comedy.
The drama is set in a bucolic but sinister town with secrets that are anything but pretty. It explores the insidious underbelly of the “troubled teen” industry and the eternal struggle between one generation and the next.
Mae Martin is probably best known for their Channel 4/Netflix rom-com ‘Feel Good‘, and their various stand-up specials, but this is something of a departure for them into full-blown drama. Martin created ‘Wayward’, and serves as co-showrunner, executive producer, and stars in the drama.
Martin is joined in the cast by the brilliant Golden Globe and Emmy-winning Toni Collette (‘Pieces of Her’, ‘Unbelievable’), Sarah Gadon (‘Alias Grace’, ‘True Detective’, ‘Letterkenny’), Patrick J. Adams (‘Suits’), Sydney Topliffe (‘Davey & Jonesie’s Locker’), Alyvia Alyn Lind (‘Chucky’, ‘Daybreak’, ‘The Spiderwick Chronicles’), Brandon Jay McLaren (‘The Rookie’, ‘Snowfall’, ‘The Cleaning Lady’), Joshua Close (‘The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair’, ‘Plan B’), and Patrick Gallagher (‘Big Sky’, ‘Joe Pickett’, ‘iZombie’).
“We are deep in the bizarre world of Wayward, and I am so excited to show everyone what we’ve been making — what a cast!” Martin comments. “I hope this show ignites the rebellious teenagers that exist in all of us. And, most importantly, let’s acknowledge that my hair is now several shades darker than previously, indicating that I am now in fact a serious actor.”
Ryan Scott (‘Servant’, ‘Fear The Walking Dead’) serves as co-showrunner and executive producer, alongside Martin. Euros Lyn, the director behind all episodes of ‘Heartstopper’ Seasons 1 & 2, along with working on shows such as ‘Doctor Who’, ‘Sherlock’, and many others, will direct and also exec produce. Renuka Jeyapalan (‘Murdoch Mysteries’, ‘Ginny and Georgia’) and John Fawcett (‘Orphan Black’, ‘Titans’) also direct. Other exec producers include Ben Farrell and Hannah Mackay (Objective Fiction) alongside Jennifer Kawaja and Bruno Dubé (Sphere Media).
‘Wayward‘ does not yet have a premiere date but will air on Netflix worldwide. If you want to keep track of this or any other show, you can add it via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date.
