Clearly, twists and turns abound both on screen and behind the scenes for Nuit blanche. Brigitte Lafleur will replace Valérie Blais in the sequel to the series, expected on Prime Video next year.
The news was revealed Tuesday afternoon at the 2023-2024 programming launch for Amazon’s streaming video service.
In an interview after the event, the executive producer of Nuit blanche, Charles Lafortune, indicated that a scheduling conflict prevented Valérie Blais from meeting up with the rest of the team. The actress played Charlotte Hébert, the eldest daughter of Loulou Hébert (France Castel), the ex-model and businesswoman at the heart of the story of author Julie Hivon (Alertes, Au succor de Béatrice). Valérie Blais is currently starring in the film adaptation of Les Belles-sœurs. Filming for Nuit blanche is also in full swing, under the direction of director Julien Hurteau (Alertes, Les petits rois).
“Unfortunately, [Valérie Blais] chose Les-s-sœurs,” said Charles Lafortune, who holds the position of vice-president of content and creation at Pixcom, the production company behind this family saga with thriller overtones.
The other main actors of Nuit Blanche will return to their respective characters, including Marilyse Bourke, Jean-Philippe Perras, Michel Rivard, Ron Lea, Iannicko N’Doua, Antoine Pilon and Rose-Marie Perreault.
According to Charles Lafortune, the arrival of Brigitte Lafleur “works well”. As for the action of the new episodes, it will be set in the heart of the 1980s.
This is yet another twist in the history (in the broad sense) of Nuit blanche. In December 2021, Radio-Canada caused a stir among 850,000 viewers by pulling the plug on the series after just one season, and above all, a finale full of twists and turns which left several questions unanswered. Last February, La Presse revealed that Prime Video was going to resurrect this luxury soap, with the help of Séries Plus, which will offer it in a second broadcast window.
Nuit blanche marks Prime Video’s first foray into original Quebec fiction. Until now, the American platform had relied almost exclusively on humor to rally the beautiful province.
According to the director of Prime Video Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Magda Grace, the 2024 offering of the video service shows Amazon’s desire to please as many Quebecers as possible. This is particularly why it will relay two documentaries that affect our national sport: hockey. The first, Saving Sakic, will focus on former Quebec Nordiques player Joe Sakic. Entitled Chosen One: Alexandre Daigle, the second promises to paint an intimate portrait of the 1993 draft prospect, who ultimately never ignited the NHL.
Present at the unveiling, Alexandre Daigle indicated that he took part in the game of memories with great pleasure, especially since he indulged in it with his father, who was “in his last years of life” . “It felt good,” said the former Ottawa Senators player, now 48 years old.
Prime Video will also release Elisabeth Rioux: Without Filter, a documentary series on the Quebec entrepreneur and content creator which should show behind the scenes, or rather everything we find behind her poses on Instagram. “I’m not just an influencer,” said the main interested party.
Elsewhere in fiction, the arrival of an American series filmed in Quebec and inspired by a local news item is also impatiently awaited. Produced by actress Jamie Lee Curtis, The Sticky will revisit the historic 2012 maple syrup heist in Saint-Louis-de-Blandford. The first minutes of this big production were presented to the media, but given a strict embargo, we must remain silent on everything we observed.
Guillaume Cyr and Suzanne Clément, who are among the Quebec actors appearing in the credits of the work with Mickaël Gouin, Guy Nadon, Jean-François Provençal and Marc Beaupré, spoke of a series filmed in English, but with “many, many of Quebecois flavor”. As for Jamie Lee Curtis, she would be “extraordinary” and “generous”, according to Guillaume Cyr, who worked with her for a week during filming last spring. “She paid for food trucks for the team, she was nice to everyone,” the actor revealed.
Prime Video will continue to exploit the popularity of Quebec comedians to try to increase its market share in French Canada. This winter, the platform will offer the second season of LOL: Who laughs last? Still piloted by Patrick Huard, this reality TV competition will feature the group of comedic personalities that we revealed last week, namely Stéphane Rousseau, Philippe Laprise, Katherine Levac, Neev, Rosalie Vaillancourt, Mariana Mazza, Fabien Cloutier, Pier-Luc Funk, Tai TL and Roxane Bruneau.
During the announcement, Patrick Huard indicated that one of the strengths of the Quebec adaptation of the concept of Japanese origin was “the incredible camaraderie” between its participants. “We feel the complicity. It adds a layer,” pointed out the host of the competition, where each competitor tries to make others laugh without laughing themselves, under penalty of being eliminated.
Prime Video’s Magda Grace noted, but didn’t provide numbers, that the 2023 edition of LOL: Who’s Laughing Last? had achieved “huge success” with “a multi-generational audience” last winter.
The third season has just been filmed.
Finally, Prime Video continues its association with Just for Laughs by presenting (from today) The Ultimate Gala. Recorded last summer, this special evening to mark the 40th anniversary of the Montreal festival brought together the biggest names in comedy, including Martin Matte, Louis-José Houde and Yvon Deschamps. In front of journalists, the latter stressed that he would not have wanted to miss this meeting.
“I had to be there. I didn’t know what state I would be in. It’s been a long time since I [did humor on stage]. But I took the risk, and I was happy. Because I was good. That didn’t make any sense! “, exclaimed the monument, laughing.
