Reese Witherspoon has been known to take on iconic and challenging roles throughout her career. There’s no stopping her anytime soon, as she ventures out on a new role unlike any other. This time, it will be behind the camera’s lenses. Reese straps on her producer hat as her production company, Hello Sunshine, adapts the best-selling novel, Where the Crawdads Sing, into a Hollywood film.
How the Big Screen Adaptation Came to Be
The page turner is a murder mystery novel by American author, Delia Owens. The story follows two different timeframes that somehow intertwine as the story goes along. The first timeframe is set in the early 1950’s to late 1960’s and revolves around the life of a young girl named Kya, who was abandoned by her mom at a young age. The story follows her adventures as she grows up in the Marshes of North Carolina. The second timeframe is set during the mid 1960’s and in the quiet coastal area of Barkley Cove, a fictional town located in North Carolina. The story continues to follow the life of a more mature Kya whose life is suddenly turned upside down, as she becomes a suspect in an investigation involving the murder of Chase Andrews, a local heartthrob and star quarterback. The gripping novel is a coming-of-age masterpiece that is supported by elements of mystery and intrigue. To simply lay it out, it’s the type of book one would find almost impossible to put down.
Apart from her acting accolades and iconic portrayals, Reese has recently been known to be a founder of a virtual book club aptly called, Reese’s Book Club, which aims to feature books with women at the center of the story. This idyllic initiative has attracted a growing community, and united book lovers from different parts of the world. Where the Crawdads Sing was first associated with Reese in 2018, when it was featured as the book club pick for the month of September. The novel skyrocketed to new heights. It cemented a position in the New York Times bestsellers list, and even became Amazon’s most sold fiction book in 2019.
It didn’t take long before the Hello Sunshine team took notice of the clamor, and decided to bring the novel into life. Much like Reese’s Book Club, the media company is also focused on telling stories from a woman’s perspective, both onscreen and also behind the scenes. The company certainly knows how to walk their talk. Their rich portfolio is composed of notable movies and television shows, which are top billed by powerful female leads and have storylines that inspire and promote women empowerment. Some of their past projects include cinematic wonders, such as Wild and Gone Girl, and small screen winners like Big Little Lies, The Morning Show, Little Fires Everywhere, and the upcoming Daisy Jones & The Six. A solid following paired with a highly-acclaimed backer sound like the perfect combination to achieve big screen success.
What to Expect from the Big Screen Adaptation
The production of the much-anticipated drama is already well underway. The film is set to be shot in Louisiana, including some parts of New Orleans. Fans of the novel must have been tickled pick when Sony Pictures first shared a behind the scenes teaser on their social media page last April. Apart from an exciting storyline, the film also features a stellar cast and crew to watch out for. It will be directed by Olivia Newman, who first made her directorial debut last 2018 with First Match, a Netflix sports drama, while its script is written by Academy Award nominee, Lucy Alibar, who is best known for being a co-writer of the film, Beasts of the Southern Wild. The cast will be led by Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People) who takes on the lead role as Kya. The other cast members to look forward to include Taylor John Smith (Sharp Objects), Harris Dickinson (Trust),Garret Dillahunt (Fear the Walking Dead), Michael Hyatt (Snowfall), Ahna O’Reilly (The Morning Show), Sterling Macer Jr. (Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story), and newcomer, Jojo Regina, who plays a young Kya.
Although there is still limited news surrounding the production, fans would be glad to know that they will not have to wait much further before the film hits the big screen. Sony Pictures announced last May that the movie will officially start its theatrical run on June 24, 2022. The long wait has finally been reduced to a little less than a year! Hollywood has seen countless of best-selling novels adapted into memorable motion pictures. The team behind Where the Crawdads Sing expects to do no less.
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