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Archive for the ‘Other Projects’ Category
Dolly Parton, James Patterson, Reese Witherspoon Team on Film Adaptation of ‘Run, Rose, Run’
Dolly Parton will return to the big screen in an upcoming feature film adaption of “Run, Rose, Run.” The movie is based on a novel that Parton co-wrote with James Patterson. The pair will produce the feature film for Hello Sunshine. Its founder Reese Witherspoon will also produce the movie along with Hello Sunshine’s President of Film and Television Lauren Neustadter.
“Run, Rose, Run” was published this month and topped The New York Times bestseller list. Parton also released a chart-topping companion album of the same name through her label, Butterfly Records.
“Run, Rose, Run” follows a young woman who comes to Nashville to pursue her dreams of becoming a country music star. However, her songs hinge on a secret she has wants desperately to hide. It’s one that if revealed could threaten her future.
“Growing up in Nashville, I’ve loved Dolly since the moment I heard her magical voice and saw her luminous personality shine onstage,” Witherspoon said. “Beyond her magnetic presence as an artist and performer, she is one of the greatest songwriters and storytellers of our time. Her impact knows no bounds – as a musician, actor, writer, businesswoman, activist and all around incredible human being – Dolly Parton is not only an icon to me, but a true inspiration to women and girls everywhere. My admiration for her grew to even greater heights when reading ‘Run, Rose, Run,’ a gripping and heartbreaking book I couldn’t put down. I couldn’t feel more honored to be working alongside her and James to bring this remarkable story to the screen.”
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Vanity Fair have the first look at one of the upcoming films Reese is producing – Where the Crawdads Sing. Reese talked to the publication about what drew her to the novel, and the director of the film:
Where the Crawdads Sing: Your First Look at the Lush Adaptation
The bestselling Delia Owens novel is “a love letter to growing up in the South,” says producer Reese Witherspoon—which is exactly why it sang to her.
When director Olivia Newman first heard about Where the Crawdads Sing, the novel everyone seemed to be talking about, she flat-out didn’t want to read it. At the time, Newman was looking for scripts to helm after her 2018 SXSW breakout film, First Match. She was intrigued by the tale of the mysterious “Marsh Girl” from debut novelist Delia Owens—but while driving around L.A., Newman heard an interview with the author on NPR and learned that Reese Witherspoon was interested in pursuing the novel. “I remember thinking, Oh, my God, this sounds like something I would love…but I’m not even going to read it because I’ll be so heartbroken that I won’t get to make it,” Newman tells Vanity Fair.
In a few short years, Crawdads went on to sell more than 12 million copies, and Newman wound up directing the film, which will premiere in theaters on July 22.
A lyrical blend of romance, crime thriller, and survival story, Where the Crawdads Sing follows Kya, a young girl in the marsh of North Carolina who yearns for connection after being abandoned by her family. After one of the men Kya becomes romantically entangled with shows up dead, she is even further ostracized from the community, and the town’s previously concealed secrets bubble up to the surface. “I read this novel probably in one day, maybe two days. I just couldn’t put it down,” says Witherspoon, a producer on the film who also selected Crawdads for her famed book club. “I fell in love with Kya as a main character, as a little girl who’s growing up in this very rural area, who’s shunned by society, and is trying to find a way to just save herself, just survive. And the way that Delia Owens wrote this book with such authenticity, you could just tell she really grew up in this place. She really appreciated the nature around her. The book is a love letter to growing up in the South, which for me really resonated because I grew up in New Orleans and Nashville.”
Alongside Elizabeth Gabler and Sony’s 3000 Pictures, a newly launched label in partnership with HarperCollins, Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine’s Lauren Neustadter found a screenwriter in Lucy Alibar, the Oscar-nominated scribe behind Beasts of the Southern Wild. Alibar, who is from the Florida Panhandle, had been in the Hello Sunshine offices to discuss optioning another book that didn’t come to fruition. On her way out the door, she was handed a copy of Where the Crawdads Sing.
“Offhand, an executive said, ‘Oh we have this book. It’s from the South. You’re from the South. Why don’t you take a look at it?’” Alibar says. “It was one of those [conversations] that didn’t feel like anything momentous at the time.” As soon as Alibar started reading, she immediately began to picture everything from the palmettos to the house where Kya lives in the marsh. The cinematography jumped right off the page, Alibar says. “As soon as I started reading I could see everything. That happens in my favorite novels. It’s rare that I experience that with a first-time novelist.”
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Reese’s Rosé! Reese Witherspoon Partners with SIMI Winery on New Wine Inspired by Her Book Club
The Editor’s Collection Rosé is available now, and “pairs beautifully with good conversation, books and many favorite book club snacks,” SIMI Winery and Reese’s Book Club said
There’s an exciting new chapter in SIMI Winery’s novel partnership with Reese’s Book Club.
The Sonoma County company announced on Monday the introduction of the Editor’s Collection Rosé, a new rosé created in collaboration with the beloved book club established by Hello Sunshine founder Reese Witherspoon.
Described in a release as “an elegant, pale pink, medium-bodied blend with light fruit flavors for a dry, Provence-style wine,” the Editor’s Collection Rosé was developed by SIMI’s female-led winemaking team and “the heroines of Reese’s Book Club” over the last year.
“Together, our teams collaborated on all aspects — from the liquid to the label design — to create an offering truly reflective of what our readers are looking for that also naturally pairs with a good book and great company,” Hello Sunshine CEO Sarah Harden said. “The Editor’s Collection Rosé exemplifies the quality and thoughtful craftsmanship behind both of our brands and will be a focus [of] many chapters to come.”
The premium adult beverage “uses the best pinot noir grapes sourced from throughout California,” the brands said, and “pairs beautifully with good conversation, books and many favorite book club snacks.”
SIMI Winery and Reese’s Book Club first made headlines with their working relationship back in November 2021, launching the Editor’s Collection — a box set retailing for $45 that featured two wines (a Sonoma County Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon) as well as a personal note from the Oscar winner.
The Editor’s Collection Rosé will retail for $18.99 a bottle, and is available nationally and on the SIMI website. A portion of profits will benefit the Readership, the Reese’s Book Club collection of efforts to support literacy.
“As a partnership rooted in celebrating narratives that place women at the center, we could not be more excited to turn this next page together,” added Mallika Monteiro, an EVP of Constellation Brands, the parent company of SIMI Winery. “We believe the launch of the Editor’s Collection Rosé really delivers on all key rosé trends: a celebrity collaboration, an American-origin product created by a world-class, female-led winemaking team and a fan-favorite Provence-style wine that over-indexes with female audiences.”
(People)
Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Acquires Lifestyle and Organizing Brand The Home Edit
Hello Sunshine is planning “additional content and commerce offerings” for the home organizing brand.
Hello Sunshine, the media and entertainment company founded by Reese Witherspoon, wants to help organize your house.
The company has acquired The Home Edit, a lifestyle brand and home organization company founded by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin. Hello Sunshine plans to grow the business through “additional content and commerce offerings, and creating more ways for audiences to engage with the brand,” the company says.
The acquisition is the first for Hello Sunshine since it was acquired itself by Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs’ Candle Media last year. The deal — terms of which were not disclosed — serves to underscore that the entertainment brands acquired by Candle remain free to pursue their own strategic opportunities.
The Home Edit was already familiar with Hello Sunshine, as Witherspoon’s company produced its Netflix series, Get Organized With The Home Edit. The company also has product lines in retail stores like Walmart, multiple books (which fit nicely in Hello Sunshine’s book club) and a full-service home organizing business in nine U.S. cities.
“After working alongside Clea and Joanna for years and watching them develop their remarkable brand and business, we are thrilled to officially welcome the incredible The Home Edit team to Hello Sunshine,” said Witherspoon in a statement. “The Home Edit has connected with audiences in so many meaningful ways through their brilliant content and product offerings. They strive to make everyone’s life easier and more joyful. I am thrilled that Hello Sunshine and Candle Media are going to enable them to expand their business to reach an even larger audience.”
Hello Sunshine was the first high-profile deal struck by Candle Media, but it has continued to make a splash in the entertainment M&A world.
The company acquired a stake in Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook Inc., bought Fauda producer Faraway Road and, in its biggest deal yet, acquired Cocomelon and Blippi owner Moonbug Entertainment for $3 billion. Moonbug is also rolling up other children’s content, buying the YouTube brand Little Angel earlier this month.
It’s all part of a larger push by private equity to get a foothold in the entertainment business, seeking to ride a wave of streaming video growth and direct-to-consumer brands and turn them into steady cash flows.
In the case of Hello Sunshine and The Home Edit, a combination of new content opportunities combined with consumer products and in-home organizing services proved hard to resist.
(THR)
Earlier this week Reese announced that she has written her first children’s picture book, and that it will be released later this year! The character of Betty is based on herself as a child, and her dog companion is obviously based on her old dog!
 Reese Witherspoon’s First Kids’ Book Is Inspired By Her Own Adventures: ‘I Was Always Singing, Dancing’
Reese Witherspoon’s first children’s book Busy Betty, which is inspired by her own adventures as a kid, will be published by Flamingo Books on Oct. 4
Reese Witherspoon is a longtime champion of reading and female empowerment — and she’s combining both interests for her first children’s book!
On Wednesday, the actress announced that her picture book Busy Betty, which is inspired by her own adventures as a kid, will be published by Flamingo Books on Oct. 4.
“I’ve been thinking about creating a children’s book with realistic young female characters since I had my daughter,” Witherspoon, 45, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive statement. “When I was a kid, I had a busy brain with a million ideas and more energy than most adults could manage so, Betty is really based on adventures from my childhood.”
Busy Betty, which is illustrated by Xindi Yan, follows a little girl who realizes she needs to give her smelly dog Frank a bath before her friend Mae arrives. “But giving Frank a bath is harder than she thought,” reads the book description, “and just when everything seems impossible, with Mae’s help, Betty learns she can accomplish anything with perseverance, teamwork, and one great idea.”
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Reese Witherspoon Just Dropped a New Draper James Line at Kohl’s
Spring has come early thanks to Reese Witherspoon and Kohl’s with an exclusive capsule collection called Draper James RSVP that will give you modern-day Bridgerton vibes.
“The collection turned out so beautiful, and we’re so happy to be launching at Kohl’s. It’s very floral and feminine, like Bridgerton,” Witherspoon tells Glamour. “There’s this sense of escape and an idea that there’s pageantry to things, that we can get dressed up again. It’s a really exciting, optimistic feeling, so we wanted to do something fun, like you were invited to a great party after being cooped up inside between this very cold winter and the pandemic.”
To showcase the collection, Witherspoon and the Kohl’s team created an elaborate outdoor garden party set that perfectly vibes with the Morning Show actor and producer’s charismatic and sunny disposition. “It was just so fun to see [the set designers] decorating with florals and candles and all the fancy things. Unfortunately, I had to leave when it was all over because it wasn’t my house,” she says with a laugh.
While the decor may not be up for sale, at least the clothes are: pastel and nautical-themed dresses, structured blazers, bodysuits, blouses, cardigans, jean jackets, skirts, rompers, capris, and more. “The Kohl’s team said, ‘You know, we’re really missing that kind of lively, bold, joyful clothing that Draper James makes,’ so we were really excited to collaborate with them.”
There were three important requirements for the RSVP collection, starting with affordable prices. “People want something new in their closet but don’t want to break the bank, so we priced the clothes between $44 and $98,” Witherspoon says.
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Reese Witherspoon on Acting: ‘My Performances Have Been Based on My Friends, and I’ve Never Told Them’
From Tracy Flick to Elle Woods to Madeline Martha Mackenzie, few actors have as many household names in their body of work as Reese Witherspoon. How has her acting process helped her create so many iconic roles? “It’s almost like being an anthropologist,” she says. “You are studying contemporary behavior and how people interact and then applying it to character.”
Take “Legally Blonde,” her instant-classic comedy about a sorority sister–turned–Harvard lawyer. “There’s a reason that it has stood the test of time,” Witherspoon says of the 2001 film. Remembering how she constructed Elle Woods, she says she spent time at a real-world sorority house to watch how the members behaved. She also went to a fancy Beverly Hills department store to watch customers try on shoes. All that analysis then went back into the performance.
Witherspoon’s techniques for each role vary wildly, thanks to an early start as a teen actor and a lack of formal training. As she puts it, “It’s hard for me to describe [my process], because I’ve kind of taped it together with duct tape!” After being bit by the acting bug early on in Tennessee, she began taking adult acting classes, appearing in commercials, and performing odd jobs in film production. She dropped out of school to pursue a screen career and broke out in “The Man in the Moon,” following it up with “Cruel Intentions” and “Election.” Eventually, she became a movie star; her performance as June Carter Cash in “Walk the Line” earned her a SAG Award, a BAFTA, and an Oscar.
“The way I prepare for everything is deeply personal for me,” she says, “so sometimes I have a hard time explaining to directors what I do. But it’s a deep, deep understanding of where the character comes from, what their upbringing was, who loved them, who didn’t love them. How do they walk through the world? Do they diminish themselves? Do they take up space? And so much of it comes from knowing people and watching people.
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Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, World of Women Partner to Adapt NFTs Into Movies, TV Shows
Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine has forged a storytelling partnership with World of Women (WoW), the NFT collective that is cracking open the male-dominated world of crypto currency while celebrating inclusivity and equality. World of Women launched in July 2021 with some 10,000 artworks from women creators, quickly becoming one of the most popular and profitable purveyors of non-fungible tokens.
As part of the partnership, Hello Sunshine will build out the World of Women character universe and franchise into entertainment properties including feature films, scripted and unscripted TV series. The move is another sign of the growing popularity of NFTs and the potential they hold for traditional media companies on the prowl for intellectual property.
They will also launch a Hello Sunshine x World of Women live event in conjunction with other diverse women-led NFT projects. The goal is to educate women about this new space.
“While the crypto and NFT space is largely dominated by men, there are inspiring leaders like World of Women creating incredible communities for women during this massive shift for media and technology,” said Witherspoon. “We’re proud to partner with WoW to expand their universe of characters and to develop innovative scripted and unscripted content. We look forward to engaging with the remarkable WoW community at every step of this partnership and creating opportunities for WoW holders to work collaboratively with Hello Sunshine on transforming the WoW art into powerful stories.”
The move isn’t a complete surprise. Witherspoon has been outspoken about her support of World of Women’s mission, even making her profile picture an NFT from World of Women’s collection. She’s also been using her social media platform to talk up the possibilities of the metaverse, digital art and cryptocurrencies.
Hello Sunshine shares a similar mission with World of Women. Both companies are female-led and also make a point of promoting works by female artists and authors. Hello Sunshine has produced “The Morning Show” for Apple TV and has Olivia Newman’s adaptation of Delia Owens’s “Where the Crawdads Sing” and Aline Brosh McKenna’s “Your Place or Mine” on tap. In August, Witherspoon sold a majority stake in Hello Sunshine to Candle Media, which is led by former Disney executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs.
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The Morning Show (2019)
