Reese Witherspoon is aiming to take Sara Saedi’s memoir about growing up in a family of undocumented immigrants to the small screen. ABC has handed out a script order to “Americanized,” hailing from the Emmy and Oscar winner’s Hello Sunshine banner and ABC Studios. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the news.
Set to be penned by Saedi (“iZombie’), the half-hour comedy “tells the story of a loving and offbeat Iranian family who has been living with a huge secret: They’re undocumented immigrants. Told through an irreverent, heartfelt, and apolitical lens, the series will give viewers a window into the life of a Middle Eastern household while exploring the universal truths that bond every type of ‘American’ family,” the source summarizes.
Saedi, Witherspoon, and Hello Sunshine’s Lauren Levy Neustadter are among the project’s executive producers.
Witherspoon has a number of TV projects in the works, including Hulu’s “Little Fires Everywhere,” an adaptation of Celeste Ng’s best-selling 2017 novel that she’ll star in alongside Kerry Washington, an untitled Apple series set in the world of morning talk shows that she and Jennifer Aniston will topline, and, also with Apple, “Are You Sleeping?” an Octavia Spencer-led drama that explores the national obsession with true crime stories and podcasts.
The “Big Little Lies” actress and exec producer will return to the Emmy-winning murder mystery for its sophomore season. Shooting has wrapped, but a premiere date is TBA. “American Honey” helmer Andrea Arnold directed every episode.
