Reese Witherspoon is joining forces with another streamer. The Oscar and Emmy winner just starred in and exec produced Hulu’s “Little Fires Everywhere” and Apple TV+’s “The Morning Show,” and narrated Quibi nature show “Fierce Queens,” and now she’s got two projects in the pipeline with Netflix. The mogul is set to topline and produce two rom-com features for the streamer via her production company, Hello Sunshine: “Your Place or Mine” and “The Cactus.” Variety confirmed the news.
A portrait of “two long-distance best friends who change each other’s lives when one decides to pursue a lifelong dream and the other volunteers to keep an eye on the friend’s teenage son,” “Your Place or Mine” sees Witherspoon teaming up with “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” co-creator Aline Brosh McKenna. The pic is based on an original script by Brosh McKenna, who penned “The Devil Wears Prada,” and will mark her feature directorial debut.
Based on Sarah Haywood’s best-selling novel of the same name, “The Cactus” tells the story of a 45-year-old woman dealing with an unplanned pregnancy, charting her “unconventional journey toward love, family, and learning to embrace the unexpected.” The “Wrinkle in Time” actress featured “The Cactus” in her book club.
Witherspoon won an Oscar for her leading role in “Walk the Line” and received a nod for “Wild.” She won an Emmy for exec producing “Big Little Lies” and scored a nomination for her acting on the HBO drama. The “Legally Blonde” franchise, “Sweet Home Alabama,” and “Election” are among her comedy credits. Her packed slate includes a second season of “The Morning Show” and “Legally Blonde 3.”
The multi-hyphenate has said that she “really reject[s] the idea that women have to stay in one life.” She explained, “People have said, ‘You can’t start a company; just stay being an actress.’ Why are women supposed to be one thing? Nobody thinks Robert De Niro is stepping outside [his boundaries by] owning hotels and restaurants. Life has many chapters. You have to think, what am I going to do next?”