Come October, Keanu Reeves will no longer be the only Matrix star associated with the Baba Yaga, as one of his co-stars headlines a new series about the mythical witch. Though Neo will always be Reeves’ most famous role, he is just as recognizable as the titular dog-loving assassin in the John Wick franchise, aka the “Baba Yaga”.
An iconic character in Slavic folklore, the Baba Yaga is an elderly magical woman frequently depicted living in a woodland hut standing on chicken legs and flying around inside a giant mortar, which she steers with a pestle. Famously unpredictable, she can be a child-eating monster or a wise healer who helps heroes on their quests. The Baba Yaga has been portrayed in myriad movies and TV shows, including the Scooby-Doo franchise, the 2019 Hellboy reboot, and the Canadian supernatural drama Lost Girl.
Now, she’ll be returning to our screens with another Canadian series, simply titled Yaga. Created by Kat Sandler and based on her play of the same, Yaga is a Crave original series that premieres on October 23, 2026 — US audiences can stream it on AMC+. Yaga stars Hudson Williams in his first major post-Heated Rivalry role, Schitt’s Creek’s Noah Reid, and Carrie-Anne Moss, the second Matrix actor taking on the legend.
The Matrix’s Carrie-Anne Moss Appears In Yaga, A Reinvention Of The Baba Yaga Myth
A modern mystery story, Yaga is set in a small coastal town in which local fishery heir Henry Park (Williams) goes missing. Henry’s family procures the services of private detective Rapp (Reid), whose investigation leads him to Katherine Yazov (Moss), a beguiling university professor with a penchant for younger men and whose ties to Henry are more complex than they seem. Henry is hardly Katherine’s only deep, dark secret, and she’s not the only one hiding something.
Yaga actually features a fun Easter egg shoutout to Moss’s Matrix co-star in which her character says, “What’s John Wick?”
Sandler was inspired to write the play and, subsequently, the TV show because she wanted to tell a story about a female antihero. “I really grew up with Dexter and Hannibal,” Sandler told IGN, “and I was like, ‘can we do this but with a woman?’ and still find it viciously entertaining and so fun and so sexy and really be along for the ride with her, enjoying her being the OG bad girl of fairytales.” Though many viewers will likely be tuning in for Williams, expect a thrilling, sexy performance from Moss as well.
What Else Carrie-Anne Moss Has Done Since The Matrix Movies
After the smash success of The Matrix movies, Moss took a conscious step back from Hollywood, moving from Los Angeles to New Hampshire to live with her husband and raise their children in a quieter environment (via PEOPLE). However, that doesn’t mean she retired from acting, and Moss has continued to take on supporting parts in movies and recurring/guest-starring roles in TV shows.
As her children got older, Moss began committing to bigger acting jobs again. She notably played Jeri Hogarth in the Marvel series Jessica Jones, Daredevil, and The Defenders; had a memorable turn as Indara in Star Wars: The Acolyte; and starred in the cast of FUBAR, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Netflix action-comedy series, as Greta Nelso. The role of Katherine in Yaga definitely looks to be one of Moss’s steamiest to date, and, if the trailer is any indication, it’s one that fans won’t want to miss.
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Yaga
- Release Date
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October 23, 2026
- Directors
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David Frazee, Rachel Talalay
