Tatiana Maslany Accepts AMC’s ‘Invitation to a Bonfire’

Rick Porter
·3 min read
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Tatiana Maslany’s next TV role will be a world away from her current one.

The Emmy winner and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law star has joined AMC Networks’ drama Invitation to a Bonfire. She’ll also be an executive producer of the series, which is inspired by the codependent marriage of Lolita novelist Vladimir Nabokov and his wife, Vera.

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The announcement was one of several AMC Networks made during its time at the Television Critics Association press tour Wednesday. The company has also named a new showrunner for its series Dark Winds and set a guest lineup for season two of IFC’s Sherman’s Showcase.

Invitation to a Bonfire is set at a girls boarding school in the 1930s. It follows Zoya (Freya Mavor), a young Russian immigrant and groundskeeper at the school, who’s drawn into a lethal love triangle with the the school’s newest faculty member, the enigmatic novelist Leo Orlov (Pilou Asbaek), and his beguiling wife, Vera (Maslany). Ngozi Anyanwu also stars.

“Tatiana is a singular talent who we’ve wanted to bring back to the AMC Networks family since her iconic and career-defining performance in Orphan Black,” said AMC Networks Entertainment and AMC Studios president Dan McDermott. “We’re thrilled to have her join Invitation to a Bonfire’s talented cast and watch her bring to life the wild flame that is Vera Orlov, both on-screen and behind the scenes as an executive producer.”

Maslany had her breakout role in BBC America’s Orphan Black, where she played multiple characters —clones of one another. She won an Emmy for her work in 2016. She starred in the first season of HBO’s Perry Mason in 2020. Marvel series She-Hulk, in which she plays the title character, is set to premiere Aug. 18 on Disney+. Maslnay is repped by CAA, The Characters Agency, Alexander Artists and Hansen Jacobson.

AMC ordered Invitation to a Bonfire in February as part of its script-to-series development model. Rachel Caris Love (Physical, Blindspot) created the drama and serves as showrunner. She executive produces with Maslany, Robin Schwartz and Kyle Laursen. Carolyn Daucher serves as producer on the AMC Studios project.

Also from AMC’s time at TCA:

– John Wirth has joined Dark Winds as showrunner for season two, taking over from Vince Calandra. Wirth was an executive producer of AMC’s Hell on Wheels and Sundance’s Hap and Leonard; his credits also include Wu Assassins, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Nash Bridges.

– The second season of Sherman’s Showcase has lined up a big roster of guest stars to populate the world of the long-running (fictional) variety series. The guests include Issa Rae, Ted Lange, Chris Hardwick, Dewayne Perkins, Chance the Rapper, Jay Pharoah and returnees John Legend (who also exec produces), Morris Day, Eliza Coupe, Nigel Lythgoe and Tawny Newsome, among others. It premieres Oct. 26 on IFC and AMC+.

– AMC Networks’ Brit-focused streamer Acorn TV has renewed Harry Wild, starring and exec produced by Jane Seymour, for a second season. Also scoring a season two pickup is short-form digital series Cooper’s Bar, featuring Better Call Saul Emmy nominee Rhea Seehorn. The latter is available on AMC+, AMC.com and the network’s social channels.

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