Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston’s upcoming Apple series still doesn’t have a name, but the buzzy project has secured a director. Emmy winner Mimi Leder is signed on to helm the morning show drama and will exec produce, Deadline reports.
Described as “as an inside look at the lives of the people who help America wake up in the morning,” the series explores “the unique challenges faced by the women (and men) who carry out this daily televised ritual.”
Kerry Ehrin (“Bates Motel,” “Friday Night Lights”) will serve as showrunner as well as writer and exec producer. Witherspoon and Aniston are also exec producing.
As the source notes, “Leder has long been a flag-bearer for female directors. For 22 years, until last fall, she was the last woman to win an Emmy Award for directing in a drama series, which she did in 1995 for ‘ER.'” Reed Morano took home the trophy last year for “The Handmaid’s Tale.” With five Emmy nominations in the drama directing category, Leder has received more nods than any other woman. She, Morano, and Karen Arthur are the only women who have won the category.
In 2015 Leder was asked whether the barriers facing women to direct features are higher than the barriers in television directing. “[B]udgets are higher [in features]. And it’s mostly males hiring. And they mostly hire males,” she observed. “That may sound controversial, but I can’t figure it out. Why aren’t there more talented women directing features? Why are women clawing to be directors when there are male directors who have made two or three $200 million failures and get to make another one? That doesn’t happen with women. Never.”
Leder’s features include “Deep Impact” and “Pay it Forward.” She’s currently in post-production on Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic “On the Basis of Sex.” Oscar nominee Felicity Jones will play the Notorious RBG in the pic, set to bow December 25.
“The Leftovers,” “Shameless,” and “The West Wing” are among Leder’s many TV credits.
