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Variety
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Feb 25, 2026 8:57am PT
Hudson Williams’ Casting in Crave’s ‘Yaga’ Adaptation Sends Physical Screenplay Sales Soaring
By
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Hudson Williams is getting people to read again.
Since the “Heated Rivalry” star signed onto Crave’s adaptation of “Yaga,” physical copies of Kat Sandler’s original screenplay instantly sold out online. It’s officially back in stock on Amazon, where it’s rushed back to the top of bestseller lists.
Yaga
Sandler, a Canadian playwright, will serve as writer and showrunner on the eight-episode TV series. The genre-blending play reimagines the Baba Yaga myth as a modern murder mystery. The story follows a detective investigating the disappearance of the young heir to a yogurt fortune in a small town, where the case becomes entangled with local folklore, a sharp and enigmatic university professor, and a web of suspicious characters. As the investigation deepens, the play mixes whodunit suspense with fairy-tale elements, using the Baba Yaga legend to explore power, gender, ageism, and the way “wicked women” are portrayed in stories.
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“’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 upon the adaptation’s announcement. “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.”
Production is underway on the series, which is co-directed by David Frazee and Rachel Talalay and also stars Carrie-Anne Moss and Noah Reid. 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).
Purchase the “Yaga” screenplay here.
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