Xavier Dolan (“Mommy”) is set to make his TV drama debut with Studiocanal and Quebecor Content on “The Night Logan Woke Up,” a psychological thriller mini-series adapted from Michel Marc Bouchard’s eponymous hit theater production.
Dolan will both write and direct the series, which he will also produce alongside Nanoby’s Nancy Grant and Jasmyrh Lemoine. The five-part series is expected to go into production in March 2021 and will air on Quebecor Content and Canal Plus in 2022.
Studiocanal has secured international distribution rights to the series. Javi Hernandez and Harry Grivakis of VVS Films brokered the deals on behalf of the filmmakers and will serve as executive producers.
A poignant thriller weaving horror, humor and drama, the mini-series stars original cast members from the 2019 play, including Julie Le Breton, Magalie Lépine-Blondeau, Éric Bruneau and Patrick Hivon, along with Dolan and Julianne Côté.
The story is set in the early 1990s with Mimi and her brother Jules who are best friends with Logan. Together, they form an inseparable trio. The boys are on the baseball team and have just won the regional championship while Mimi dreams of a life in the theater. Together, they even think about moving to the U.S. But in October 1991, Logan, nearing his 17th birthday, rapes 14-year-old Mimi, shattering the two families.
Thirty years later, Mimi has become a reputable thanatologist and, following her mother’s death, travels home to take care of the body. There, she is reunited with her estranged brothers, whom she hasn’t seen in decades. Soon after, secrets and spite buried deep in the past resurface, sending the families on an unstoppable pursuit of reconciliation.
“Xavier Dolan tells deeply human stories with a unique voice and has an ability to create real relationships on screen,” said Francoise Guyonnet, executive managing director of TV series at Studiocanal.
Quebecois director Dolan previously won the Cannes Jury Prize in 2014 for “Mommy” and the Cannes Grand Prix for “It’s Only the End of the World” in 2016. He also won several Canadian Screen and César Awards.