Apple Wins Original Drama Starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon
Image via Jeff Vespa
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Apple is hard at work at developing original TV content. And, out of the gate, one of those programs will be a “morning show drama” starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, according to a new report.
Reportedly, Apple was said to be in a “bidding war” for the untitled series back in September. Now, it seems that Apple has emerged the victor, beating out competitors like Netflix and Showtime. The company has inked a deal for two 10-episode seasons of the TV show, according to a story published Wednesday by The Hollywood Reporter.
The two actors will start, executive produce, and co-own the upcoming series, along with production company Media Res. The program, which delves into the “cutthroat world” of morning TV, was written by Jay Carson, a screenwriter known for his work on Netflix’s own original series, “House of Cards.”
Aniston and Witherspoon will star as morning talk show hosts in the drama series, which is described as an “inside looking at the lives of the people who help America wake up in the morning, exploring the unique challenges faced by women (and men) who carry out this daily televised ritual.”
The drama program is the second Apple series that’s reportedly in development. In October, Apple negotiated a deal with Amblin Television and NBC Universal to create new episodes of Steven Spielberg’s “Amazing Stories,” which originally ran on NBC from 1985 to 1987.
The new shows will join Apple’s two existing original TV programs, “Planet of the Apps” and “Carpool Karaoke: The Series” — both of which air exclusively on Apple Music. At this point, it’s currently unknown whether Apple will keep its original intent limited to the music streaming platform in the future, or if it will make the content available via other outlets such as iTunes.
Apple’s ambitions in Hollywood have been well-known for some time. Back in June, the company hired former Sony executives Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht — known for their work on “Breaking Bad,” “Better Call Saul” and “The Crown — to spearhead its aggressive push into original content. In September, a report that detailed Apple’s presence in Hollywood suggested that the company has since been “inundated” with potential shows and spec scripts, and was looking to produce high-end, “prestige” TV content.
