Marc-André Grondin (Reasonable Doubt, The Impostor) has just begun filming the historical spy drama IXE-13in which he dons the costume of “the ace of Canadian spies” Jean Thibault, alias IXE-13, in the Montreal of 1945.
The other main characters, the spy’s comrades, are portrayed by Julie Le Breton (Victor Lessard), Vincent Leclerc (The lands above) and Hugolin Chevrette (The Honorable). Director Yan Lanouette Turgeon (One way ticket and the impostor) leads the set of this original Club illico series, which will be launched next year.
According to information shared on Thursday, the first season of IXE-13 will lead the protagonists “into a labyrinthine operation, imbued with lies, manipulation, betrayal and secrets” a few months after the end of the Second World War.
“Jean Thibault, alias IXE-13, Canada’s top secret service agent, is now the respected owner of Crystal Night Club in the Red Light. As he recovers from his difficult years of service, Jean finds himself in spite of himself at the heart of a new espionage operation. On the one hand, the Russians are looking for uranium for the manufacture of a bomb threatening the West. On the other, a powerful Nazi group led by Rick Gallaher, a former Canadian soldier, is also looking for uranium to conquer the world.
Helped by spies Roxane Racicot (Le Breton), Victor Laporte (Leclerc) and Marius Lamouche (Chevrette), Thibault will return to his job as a spy following an attack on a loved one. The group will have to “infiltrate and dismantle” these networks before the uranium falls into the hands of the Russians or Gallaher.
It is the screenwriter of the series “Lies” and “The countries from above”, Gilles Desjardins, who wrote the eight one-hour episodes. Mr. Desjardins is also an associate producer alongside Myriam Poirier. The series is produced by Josée Vallée and Sylvie Gaudreault of Sphère Média, in collaboration with Quebecor Content.
28 million copies sold
Gilles Desjardins freely adapted the series of short spy novels “The Strange Adventures of Agent IXE-13”, published from 1947 to 1966 and signed by Pierre Daignault, under the pseudonym Pierre Saurel. The 934 stories sold 28 million copies, making it one of the first and greatest successes in Quebec publishing.
It has to be done: IXE-13 shone before James Bond and Bob Morane. Unlike Jacques Godbout’s 1971 comedy film about the spy, the series will be more serious and dramatic.
“IXE-13 also has a tragic dimension. He ran a spy ring during World War II. Several of the greatest spies during this conflict were also French-speaking Quebecers, which is not well known”, Gilles Desjardins told Agence QMI when the project was announced in December 2021.