Ragesh Dipu
Joshua Jackson has been cast as the male lead on Hulu’s upcoming limited series ‘Little Fires Everywhere.’ According to The Wrap, Jackson plays the role of Bill Richardson, who is an attorney hailing from a modest family background. Reese Witherspoon plays Elena, Bill’s strong-willed wife. Kerry Washington portrays an enigmatic single mother who turns the family life of the Richardsons upside down.
The eight-episode series is based on the 2017 bestseller of the same name by Celeste Ng. The plot revolves around the Richardson family and Kerry Washington’s single mom and her daughter (played by Lexi Underwood). The two families collide each other with a load of secrets on their shoulders. The series also explores themes like the relation between art and identity, motherhood and rule of the law, all center around a fierce custody battle.
Hulu snatched the right to ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ after a bidding war. Hello Sunshine, a banner owned by Witherspoon has bought the rights to the book even before its publication. Witherspoon joined hands with Kerry Washington, who serves as the executive producer, to take the book to writer Liz Tigelaar, who is known for ‘Casual‘ and ‘Life Unexpected.’ Later, ABC Signature is attached to the project as an executive producer along with Hello Sunshine and Simpson Street. Tigelaar, Lauren Neustadter, Pilar Savone and Lynn Sheldon also serve as executive producers.
According to THR, several outlets attempted to take the project. But Witherspoon and others decided to go for an open bid to finalize the right home for their project. The current co-producers of the project are ABC Signature and Hello Sunshine. ‘ Little Fires Everywhere’ is Hello Sunshine’s first production venture as a studio.
“Celeste wove a beautiful, riveting story that spoke to all of us, and when we heard the vision Reese, Kerry and Liz have for the series, we knew immediately that we had to bring it to Hulu,” Hulu Chief Content Officer Joel Stillerman is quoted as saying by The Wrap. “We’re honoured to bring this powerful story to the screen with Hello Sunshine, in their first studio project. This is exactly the type of compelling and culturally relevant content that embodies our Hulu Originals brand.”
The other cast includes Rosemarie DeWitt, Jade Pettyjohn, Jordan Elsass, Gavin Lewis, and Megan Stott. Apart from adapting the screenplay, Liz Tigelaar also serves as showrunner. Bill Richardson is Jackson’s first regular role in a series after Showtime’s ‘The Affair,’ in which he played the role of Cole Lockhart. Jackson will be next seen in the Netflix series ‘When They See Us,’ which is created by Ava DuVernay based on the Central Park jogger case of 1989.
Cover Image Courtesy: Barbara Nitke/SHOWTIME
