Maddie Ziegler & ‘Schitt’s Creek’ Star Emily Hampshire To Lead ‘Bloody Hell’, Coming-Of-Age “Traumedy” From ‘Mary Goes Round’ Director Molly McGlynn

EXCLUSIVE: Maddie Ziegler and Schitt’s Creek Star Emily Hampshire are to lead Bloody Hell, a coming-of-age “traumedy” from Mary Goes Round director Molly McGlynn.

Principal photography kicked off in Canada last week on the feature, which follows 16-year-old Lindy (Ziegler), who is unexpectedly diagnosed with a reproductive condition that upends her plans to have sex, presumptions about womanhood and relationship with her mother (Hampshire).

The film is semi-autobiographical for McGlynn, who was diagnosed with MRKH Syndrome when she was 16. She was subsequently behind critically-acclaimed 2017 feature Mary Goes Round and has helmed episodes of the likes of Grace and Frankie and Bless this Mess.

“It took me several years to scrape together the courage to write this script,” said McGlynn. “I knew Maddie was the perfect person to capture the nuance and complexity of this confusing, emotionally overwhelming and in hindsight, absurd, time in my adolescent life.”

Ziegler is a former So You Think You Can Dance judge and Dance Moms star who played Velma in Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-nominated West Side Story, while Hampshire played Stevie Budd in global smash Schitt’s Creek and has also featured in Syfy’s 12 Monkeys and upcoming Amazon original The Rig.

Other cast members include D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (Reservation Dogs), Ki Griffin (Hollyoaks) and Djouliet Amara (Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between).

Jennifer Weiss’s new firm Nice Picture Inc. is producing, Brendan Brady is executive producer and Liane Cunje is associate producer. The film is funded by Canadian companies Telefilm, NOHFC and Ontario Creates, and produced in association with Crave and SUPER ÉCRAN, divisions of Bell Media, while Blue Fox Entertainment will handle worldwide sales excluding Canada with WME Independent co-repping U.S. rights. Elevation Pictures is the Canadian distributor.