Golden Globe-winning actress Reese Witherspoon sat down to talk to HFPA journalist Margaret Gardiner about her decades in Hollywood, from her start in films like Cruel Intentions, Election, and Legally Blonde, to turning points in her career like Wild and Walk the Line, to her recent forays in television with The Morning Show and Big Little Lies, to her outside work like her use of fashion and her ongoing monthly book club that highlights and celebrates great and noteworthy works, and more.
Just before Christmas, Reese and her co-stars revealed the first poster for Sing 2 on their social media accounts! We also have a synopsis for the new film. The film will hit cinemas on December 22nd 2021.
Next holiday season, the new chapter in Illumination’s smash animated franchise returns with big dreams and spectacular hit songs as can-do koala Buster Moon and his all-star cast of animal performers prepare to launch their most dazzling stage extravaganza yet …in the glittering entertainment capital of the world. There’s just one hitch: They first have to persuade the world’s most reclusive rock star—played by legendary music icon Bono, making his animated film debut—to join them.
Buster (Oscar® winner Matthew McConaughey) and his cast have turned the New Moon Theater into a local hit, but Buster has his eyes on a bigger prize: Debuting a new show at the Crystal Tower Theater in glamorous Redshore City.
But with no connections, Buster and his cast—including harried mother pig Rosita (Oscar® winner Reese Witherspoon), rocker porcupine Ash (Scarlett Johansson), earnest gorilla Johnny (Taron Egerton), shy elephant Meena (Tori Kelly) and, of course, porcine provocateur extraordinaire Gunter (Nick Kroll)—have to sneak their way into the world-famous Crystal Entertainment offices, run by a ruthless mogul wolf named Jimmy Crystal (Emmy winner Bobby Cannavale).
In a desperate attempt to get Mr. Crystal’s attention, Gunter spontaneously pitches an outrageous idea that Buster quickly runs with, promising that their new show will star lion rock legend Clay Calloway (Bono). Problem is, Buster has never met Clay, an artist who shut himself away from the world more than a decade ago after the loss of his wife and hasn’t been seen since.
As Gunter helps Buster dream up an out-of-this-world theatrical masterpiece, and the pressure (and sinister threats) from Mr. Crystal mount, Buster embarks on a quest to find Clay and persuade him to return to the stage. What begins as Buster’s dream of big-time success becomes an emotional reminder of the power of music to heal even the most broken heart.
Sing 2 is written and directed by acclaimed returning filmmaker Garth Jennings and features, in addition to Bono’s and Cannavale’s roles, new characters played by music superstars Pharrell Williams and Halsey, Black Panther’s Letitia Wright, and comedians Eric Andre and Chelsea Peretti.
The film is produced by visionary Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and by Janet Healy. Sing 2 combines dozens of classic rock and pop hit songs, electrifying performances, breathtaking artistry, and Illumination’s signature humor and heart into the definitive feel-good cinematic event of next year.
I am ready to #SING2! Look at this cast! See you in theaters holiday 2021.@halsey @pharrell @U2 @McConaughey #scarlettjohansson @TaronEgerton @torikelly @nickkroll #bobbycannavale #letitiawright @ericandre @chelseaperetti @illumination @singmovie @RollingStone pic.twitter.com/vrDeF448a7
— Reese Witherspoon (@ReeseW) December 21, 2020
To celebrate Christmas we’ve updated the Gallery with photos from Draper James’s Christmas 2020 collection!
Glamour Reese would like to wish Reese and her family, and all of our visitors who celebrate this holiday, a very Happy Christmas!
Julia Roberts to Star in, Produce Apple Limited Series
Julia Roberts and Reese Witherspoon are teaming for a limited series at Apple.
Roberts will star in and executive produce The Last Thing He Told Me, from Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and Disney’s 20th Television. The drama is based on Laura Dave’s upcoming novel of the same title.
Apple landed the project for its TV+ streaming platform, outbidding several other outlets for the rights. It has given a straight to series order to the show, which Dave will adapt alongside her husband, Josh Singer (Spotlight, First Man).
The Last Thing He Told Me centers on a woman (Roberts) who forms an unexpected relationship with her teenage stepdaughter while searching for the truth behind her husband’s disappearance. The novel is set to be published by Simon & Schuster in May 2021.
Hello Sunshine optioned the book ahead of its publication and brought it to Roberts. They then took it to 20th TV, where Singer has an overall deal, before bringing it to potential buyers.
The series is one of several TV projects Roberts has taken on in recent years. She starred in and executive produced the first season of Amazon’s Homecoming and is attached to Gaslit, a drama about the Watergate scandal from Homecoming EP Sam Esmail and Universal Content Productions.
Dave and Singer will executive produce The Last Thing He Told Me with Hello Sunshine’s Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter and Red Om Films’ Roberts, Marisa Yeres Gill and Lisa Gillan.
(THR)
Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Acquires SKR Productions, Sara Rea to Head Unscripted TV
Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine has acquired Sara Rea’s SKR Productions, the company behind Amazon Studio’s “Making the Cut,” and is installing Rea as its head of unscripted television, marking an expansion into the unscripted space.
Rea is most recently known for her work as showrunner on the Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn-hosted “Making the Cut,” which incorporated an e-commerce element that allowed viewers to buy designers’ creations on Amazon Fashion after the premiere of each episode; their series with Amazon Studios followed a major migration from the trio’s nearly decade of work on “Project Runway.” SKR, which was launched in 2014, has also produced “Project Runway Threads,” “Project Runway Junior,” and “The Naked Truth,” among other series.
“Sara has led an incredibly talented team whose values and goals reflect everything we believe in at Hello Sunshine and I’m inspired by all they have accomplished,” said Witherspoon. “With shows like ‘Making the Cut,’ SKR has bridged television and the consumer experience in such an innovative way, opening up new possibilities for what content can do. I am beyond thrilled to welcome them to our team as we continue to grow and expand our mission to put women and underrepresented voices at the center.”
Rea’s team will be joining her at Hello Sunshine, including Sue Kinkead and Danielle Ghilardi Birckhead. Kinkead will become senior vice president of development, while Birckhead will step into the role of senior vice president of physical production & operations and work alongside Hello Sunshine CFO Liz Jenkins, who has been working to expand the company’s range of in-house physical production services. Tyler O’Neill and Elizabeth Sandroff will join Hello Sunshine as senior directors of development.
“I am inspired by what Reese and the Hello Sunshine team are creating,” said Rea. “That, in conjunction with us having such perfectly aligned goals, has all of us at SKR excited to join Hello Sunshine and grow the unscripted division. This is truly one of those rare one plus one equals ten opportunities, and we can’t wait to get to work.”
Continue reading this entry »
‘The Morning Show’ Season 2 Casts Julianna Margulies
Julianna Margulies has joined the cast of “The Morning Show” Season 2, Variety has learned exclusively.
She will play Laura Peterson, an anchor at UBA News. She joins returning series stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon as well as Steve Carell, Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Nestor Carbonell, Bel Powley, Karen Puttman, and Desean Terry. It was also previously announced that Greta Lee, Ruairi O’Connor, and Hasan Minhaj would also be joining the new season.
Margulies is one of the most critically-acclaimed television actresses working today. She has been nominated for 10 Emmy Awards throughout her career, of which she has won three for her time on “ER” and “The Good Wife.” She has also been nominated for 12 Golden Globe Awards, winning the award for best actress in a drama series for “The Good Wife.” Most recently, she appeared on the popular Showtime series “Billions” and starred in the first season of the Nat Geo series “The Hot Zone.” Her first literary project, “Sunshine Girl,” will debut on May 4, 2021.
She is repped by WME, Gendler & Kelly, and Wolf-Kasteler Public Relations.
“The Morning Show” is the flagship series of Apple’s streaming service. The show debuted last year and was nominated for multiple Emmy and Golden Globe Awards, with Crudup winning the Emmy for best supporting actor in a drama. Aniston also won the SAG Award for best actress in a drama series.
Continue reading this entry »
Variety’s L.A. Women’s Impact Report 2020
The past few months has been such a dynamic time for this industry that it has been a challenge keeping up with all the realignments while putting together this year’s report. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has accelerated change, disrupting business models and personal lives. Still, the L.A.- based women on this list have found ways to innovate, and many are hopeful for the future.
(The women of) Hello Sunshine
Sarah Harden, CEO
Lauren Neustadter, head of film & TV
Reese Witherspoon, founderAny lingering doubts about Hello Sunshine’s producing acumen have surely faded with the streamer launches of “The Morning Show” on Apple TV Plus and “Little Fires Everywhere” on Hulu, which garnered 13 Emmy nominations between them. The second season of HBO’s “Big Little Lies” also received five noms, bringing Hello Sunshine’s nomination haul to 18 this year. “Morning Show” co-star Billy Crudup ultimately snagged a supporting actor Emmy, the first Emmy win for the fledgling Apple TV Plus service, while Jennifer Aniston won a SAG trophy for her performance. A second season of “The Morning Show” is in the works, with key talent returning.
Witherspoon, who co-starred in all three, founded Hello Sunshine four years ago to focus on female-led stories. And it turns out having a woman propel a narrative — be it a novel, a television show or a film — isn’t such a bad idea from a financial or creative standpoint. Hello Sunshine has projects in the works at Amazon, Apple, Hulu, Netflix HBO, MGM, Starz and HBO Max. Books — some of which are selected for Witherspoon’s affiliated book club — are often the basis of television projects or movies produced by the company.
“When we set out to build the company, we knew we had a worthy mission that was important,” says CEO Harden. “But we also knew it was good business.”
“When I started Hello Sunshine, I often found myself talking to people about female representation and saw blank faces staring back at me,” Witherspoon says. “That doesn’t happen as much now, and there’s definitely momentum in Hollywood to diversify storytelling.”
The company has doubled down on optimistic storytelling in the wake of the pandemic. “As quarantine has made clear, people want to be entertained and sometimes need a reprieve from bad news,” Witherspoon says. “We want to give them uplifting and hopeful TV shows and films.” Adds Neustadter: “Hope is an essential ingredient. The character can go through really challenging stuff, but we always want to show our audience that there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
(Variety)
Reese joined Sean Hayes, Jason Bateman & Will Arnett for the October 26th episode of their podcast ‘Smartless’ earlier this week. They talked about their experiences and process on set as actors/directors/producers, Reese’s childhood, her book club and the changing nature of media, Kamala Harris, Reese’s political aspirations, parenting/mental health during the global pandemic, and her retirement plan. It’s a good interview – listen below:
Big Little Lies (2019)
The Morning Show (2019)
