Reese Witherspoon and her producing partner Bruna Papandrea have attached themselves to the film adaptation of another hotly anticipated, yet-to-be-published book.
Witherspoon and Papandrea will produce the summer read “Luckiest Girl Alive,” out May 12 from Simon & Schuster, which Lionsgate acquired. The novel centers on a 28-year-old woman who appears to have everything — a dream job, a handsome fiancé, great clothes, the whole “Devil Wears Prada” shebang — but is struggling to get past a trauma from her teen years that threatens to unravel her current life.
“Luckiest Girl Alive is the kind of book that grabs you and doesn’t let go. The hero of the book is a wily, intelligent, complex narrator,” said Witherspoon in a statement. “This character and the thrilling narrative that she drives are exactly the kind of story our company, Pacific Standard Films, wants to produce. We are thrilled to be collaborating with Jessica and Lionsgate to bring her debut novel to the screen.”
Here’s the official synopsis for “Luckiest Girl Alive”:
Her perfect life is a perfect lie.
As a teenager at the prestigious Bradley School, Ani FaNelli endured a shocking, public humiliation that left her desperate to reinvent herself. Now, with a glamorous job, expensive wardrobe, and handsome blue blood fiancé, she’s this close to living the perfect life she’s worked so hard to achieve.
But Ani has a secret.
There’s something else buried in her past that still haunts her, something private and painful that threatens to bubble to the surface and destroy everything.
With a singular voice and twists you won’t see coming, “Luckiest Girl Alive” explores the unbearable pressure that so many women feel to “have it all” and introduces a heroine whose sharp edges and cutthroat ambition have been protecting a scandalous truth, and a heart that’s bigger than it first appears.
The question remains: will breaking her silence destroy all that she has worked for — or, will it at long last, set Ani free?