Streaming services keep turning folklore into sleek thrillers. Fresh off one breakout hit, Canadian talent keeps landing high-profile follow-ups that mix heat with horror.
Hudson Williams will portray both Henry and Logan in the eight-episode series Yaga. Crave confirmed the dual casting this week with promo images showing the actor in contrasting looks. Fans immediately lit up over the reveal. Many joked that earlier steamy teaser clips now carry extra layers.
Williams first drew global notice as Shane Hollander in Crave’s queer hockey romance Heated Rivalry. That series turned him into a sudden star. Yaga marks his next major screen role and reunites him with the same streamer. He plays the young heir to a powerful fishery whose disappearance kicks off the plot. Logan appears to be a new creation for the adaptation.
Kat Sandler created the series from her own stage play. She also writes and showruns the half-hour drama. It reimagines the Slavic Baba Yaga legend as a contemporary mystery set in a small Canadian coastal town. Private investigator Rapp, played by Noah Reid, arrives to dig into the vanishing.
He clashes with local detective Carson, portrayed by Clark Backo, and university professor Katherine, played by Carrie-Anne Moss. Secrets, magic, and suspects pile up fast.
Sandler has described the project in clear terms. “It reflects the kind of storytelling I love: propulsive, accessible, dark, funny and unapologetically bold.” She has long chased female anti-heroes who misbehave with style. The stage version already asked one actor to double certain parts. The TV take expands that idea around Williams.
Moss joins as the charismatic professor with a taste for younger men. Reid brings Schitt’s Creek charm to the outsider investigator. Additional cast includes Sheila McCarthy and Megan Follows. David Frazee and Rachel Talalay co-direct. Production wrapped earlier this year in British Columbia.
The dual casting fits the show’s slippery tone. Teasers already mixed eerie folklore with charged intimacy. Williams appears in one sequence that left viewers talking. Now the second role invites fresh speculation about identity and illusion. Fan accounts shared the Instagram posts widely. Reactions mixed pure excitement with playful double takes.
Yaga arrives as Crave’s first half-hour original drama. AMC+ holds U.S. rights after a competitive grab. Other platforms will carry it internationally. A New York Comic Con panel is locked for early October. Exact premiere dates stay under wraps for now, but the October window is firm.
Williams moves quickly from sports romance to witchy thriller. The choice shows range while keeping him in Canadian-led projects with global reach. Dual roles often signal ambition. Here they also serve the source material’s playful structure. Viewers will soon see whether Henry and Logan share more than a face.
The series lands at a moment when folklore updates keep drawing audiences. Strong casts and tight episode counts help. Yaga checks those boxes. Williams’ double duty adds one more reason to watch.
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