Hulu scores TV series from Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington after ‘bidding war’

    (CNN) — Reese Witherspoon is on fire.

The actress continued her streak as one of TV’s hottest producers with a new series for Hulu based on the book “Little Fires Everywhere” by Celeste Ng.

Kerry Washington and her production company Simpson Street are set to executive produce the show with Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine production company. ABC Signature Studios will also produce.

“Little Fires Everywhere” is being billed as a limited series by Hulu, which scored the project after a “bidding war” that “ignited Hollywood,” according to a victory lap press release from the company.

Witherspoon and Washington are set to star in the series that follows the intertwined fates of one picture-perfect family and an enigmatic mother and daughter who suddenly come into their lives.

“The story explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, the ferocious pull of motherhood — and the danger in believing that following the rules can avert disaster,” Hulu said.

The project is just the latest TV effort to be added to Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine’s increasingly full plate. In addition to producing the second season of Emmy-winning “Big Little Lies,” the company has three series in the works at Apple.

One of the projects is a drama starring Jennifer Aniston and Witherspoon about the culture of morning shows and another is a comedy starring Kristen Wiig. They’re also developing a series toplined by Octavia Spencer called “Are You Sleeping.”

“Little Fires Everywhere” scored a straight-to-series order from Hulu, meaning the concept did not go through a pilot stage.

Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine’s film/TV content head Lauren Neustadter discovered the book prior to its publication and Witherspoon even chose it as a selection for her book club back in September 2017.

“At Hello Sunshine, we strive to shine a light on female-driven stories that are rooted in inspiration, emotion and truth – all of which form the bedrock of Celeste Ng’s ingenious work,” Witherspoon said in a statement. “Hulu has a rich history of transforming groundbreaking literature into groundbreaking television, and we are confident that their talented team will use this story to spur a long-overdue dialogue around race, class, and what it means to be a mother.”

Liz Tigelaar, most recently the showrunner of Hulu’s “Casual,” will act as showrunner for this new series.

“As producers, we at Simpson Street are so proud to be part of this team to tell this extraordinary story inspired by Celeste Ng’s phenomenal novel and we are thrilled to be embarking on this journey with Hulu,” Washington said.

The-CNN-Wire
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