Hot on the heels of signing on to “Election” sequel “Tracy Flick Can’t Win,” Reese Witherspoon is grasping at the Spirit Stick. Variety reports that the Oscar and Emmy winner is set to star in and exec produce “All Stars,” a cheerleading comedy series that has landed a two-season order from Prime Video following a bidding war. “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” co-creator and “The Devil Wears Prada” scribe Aline Brosh McKenna created the series and will exec produce and serve as showrunner. She’ll also direct the pilot and half of the episodes.
“All-Stars” sees Witherspoon playing a former cheerleader from Daytona Beach who lands a gig teaching cheerleading at a school in coastal England.
“I’ve been looking for a project that brought our Hello Sunshine mission to make women the heroes of their own stories to a younger generation for a long time. When I saw this story, I immediately knew this idea would do just that,” Witherspoon said. “The idea of watching an American woman coming to share the very American sport of cheerleading to a group of young women in the UK just made me so excited! I love that this show is filled with real heart, deep joy, and the power of teamwork. I can’t wait to partner with the brilliant, hilarious, and talented Aline McKenna yet again to create a truly original comedic character, and with the team at Amazon whose passion for this project was unparalleled.”
Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter’s “Hello Sunshine” banner also has “Daisy Jones and the Six” in the works at Prime Video. Set to launch in March, the limited series about a rock band that rises to fame in the ’70s is led by Riley Keough (“Zola”).
“All Stars” marks a reunion for Witherspoon and Brosh McKenna. They just worked on “Your Place or Mine,” a rom-com about BFFs who swap homes for a week. Written and directed by Brosh McKenna and starring Witherspoon, the pic hits Netflix February 10.
Witherspoon won an Oscar for “Walk the Line” and received a nod for “Wild.” She took home an Outstanding Limited Series Emmy for her work as an exec producer on “Big Little Lies” and received a nod in that same category for “Little Fires Everywhere.” For her acting on the small screen, she’s been nominated for “Big Little Lies” and “The Morning Show.”
