David Farnor | On 21, Aug 2021

Julia Stiles is heading to Amazon Prime Video for the online giant’s first scripted Canadian original series.

Called The Lake, the half-hour comedy is written by Julian Doucet (Killjoys). It charts the quintessential Canadian cottage experience, following Justin, who returns from living abroad after a break-up in the hope of reconnecting with the daughter he gave up for adoption when he was a teenager. But those plans go awry when he realises that his father left the family cottage to his stepsister, Maisy-May.

Stiles will play Maisy-May, with Jordan Gavaris (Orphan Black) and Madison Shamoun (#blackAF, Black-ish) co-starring as Justin and Billie. Additional cast members include Jon Dore (Funny As Hell, Humour Resources), Carolyn Scott (Pushing Tin, Goosebumps), Natalie Lisinka (Orphan Black, The Expanse), Travis Nelson (Tucker and Dale vs Evil), Declan Whaley (Criminal Minds) and Terry Chen (The Expanse).

The series is Amazon’s fourth original series to hail from Canada, following sketch comedy The Kids in the Hall, docuseries All or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs and LOL: Last One Laughing Canada. It is exec-produced by Michael Souther and Teza Lawrence for Amaze.

“We are thrilled to bring together this incredible cast and creative team for our first scripted Canadian comedy series,” said Christina Wayne, Head of Canadian Originals at Amazon Studios. “It’s a show that will push boundaries and celebrate broken characters trying to hold it all together against one of the most picturesque settings – cottage country.”

“We were inspired by the summers we spent on the lake, which is the basis of the concept that we brought to Amazon,” added Souther and Lawrence. “We’re excited and really looking forward to working with this incredibly talented and diverse cast, and proud to have Jordan in this central role that celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community in this series.”

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