EXCLUSIVE: Soon after becoming Canada’s first Creator of the Year, actress and comedian Julie Nolke is set to star in Gov, a political satire from Red Imp Films.
Nolke will play the lead role in the single-cam comedy as a social media influencer named Jenny Popovich who is appointed Governor General of Canada by a populist Prime Minister so he can appear more “woke.” However, it backfires when Jenny refuses to take the back seat.
Per the synopsis: “With the help of her loyal and acerbic secretary, Jenny navigates various challenges that come with entering a world long dominated by rigid old men, while simultaneously trying to expose the Prime Minister as a misogynist creep. But are they as different as they’d each like to think? Despite self-identifying as being from opposing sides of the political spectrum, Jenny and the Prime Minister are frequently horrified to find common ground and must team up as an unlikely duo for the good of the country.”
Will Jeffs and John Hauber’s Toronto- and London-based Red Imp is producing, with no network, streamer or distributor attached at this stage. Jeffs said Gov would be “Schitt’s Creek meets Veep… a fish-out-of-water comedy in a political arena, with a dose of absurdity à la Superstore.”
“We’re beyond excited to have Julie jump into this title role,” he added. “Delivering something that is both smart and comedic with a message is daunting – until you get Julie, then you breathe easier and things get really exciting. Julie’s character, Jenny, represents Canadian politics crashing into the 21st century with a cheeky wink and a nod that satirically parallels current-day issues.”
Hauber said the project has “heightened commerciality,” adding, “With a unique blend of comedic personalities coming together in a clever way, we feel confident about the crossover and reach, and have the perfect lead in Julie. She’s such an incredible force of nature who has an uncanny ability to connect with audiences.”
British-Canadian producer and screenwriter Jeffs and Hauber – who has Canadian, Argentinian and British roots, are building out a slate of what they call “unique stories and edgy material while adopting a material-first, artist-friendly philosophy.” They first teamed while Hauber was producing Rock of Ages at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto.
Jeffs on screen credits include MGM+ drama The Westies, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Netflix pic Fubar and The Lion King stage musical. Hauber has production credits for the likes of The Cut, starring Orlando Bloom and directed by Oscar nominee Sean Ellis, and doc feature Broken Country.
Red Imp’s debut feature film project is the UK-shot Get a Grip, written by Jeffs. The psychological thriller follows a traumatized WWII veteran who tries to outrun a dark secret during the infamous 1976 British summer drought.
The company claims to take “a flexible approach to the creation and distribution,” with the capacity to develop, package, finance and produce films and TV series for worldwide distribution, while “fostering a favorable environment for talent, writers, filmmakers, and showrunners.”
Nolke is represented by manager Matthew Lesher at Insight and Meridian Artist in Canada.
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