Sumith Prasad
CBC has ordered the pilot of the drama series ‘Jenny.’ The shooting of the episode will commence in Montreal, Québec, early next year. Renowned novelist Catherine Hernandez penned the same.
‘Jenny’ revolves around the titular character, who is weeks away from graduating middle school. She’s about to enter a pivotal summer of her life where she sees high school ahead on the horizon and her childhood in the rearview mirror. She is the captain of a successful dance crew formed by a group of her friends, including her BFF and her first crush. Jenny’s life, however, takes a turn when she gets diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. In the blink of an eye, a new road is laid out for the girl – a road full of treatments, medical stays, and immunotherapy. But where on that road is room for real life? Where is there room for friends, fun, and dance? Jenny sets out to find the answers.
The project is a remake of Unis’ French series of the same name, written and directed by Jean-Sébastien Lord. The show was nominated for an International Emmy Kids Award.
Hernandez penned the pilot after making her screenwriting debut with Shasha Nakhai and Rich Williamson’s 2021 drama film ‘Scarborough.’ The movie is an adaptation of her 2017 novel of the same name, a finalist of the Toronto Book Awards and Edmund White Award. The novel and the film follow three children who live in a low-income neighborhood, exploring how they discover community and friendship at a drop-in reading program. The author won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the movie.
The pilot marks Hernandez’s return to television after decades. As an actress, she appears in shows such as Showtime’s ‘Queer as Folk’ and CTV’s ‘The Associates.’ Apartment 11 Productions (‘Interstellar Ella’ and ‘Mystery Hunters’) and Productions Avenida teamed up for the project. Montreal, the principal location of the pilot, previously hosted the shooting of several of this year’s notable releases, including Joaquin Phoenix-starrer ‘Beau Is Afraid,’ ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,’ and ‘Scream VI.’
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