Renée Zellweger is set to star in the upcoming Max series Jane Smith, a legal thriller based on a bestselling novel by acclaimed author James Patterson.
Zellweger is also attached to the project as an executive producer for the series, which will be written by Miki Johnson (Presumed Innocent, Ozark), who will also act as showrunner for the show. The series will be based on Patterson and Mike Lupica’s 12 Months to Live, which follows the story of a defense attorney who is diagnosed with a brain tumor.
For Zellweger, this will be her latest television project following her starring role in the 2022 true crime comedy-drama The Thing About Pam. Zellweger is also set to once again reprise her role as Bridget Jones in next year’s Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.
What is Jane Smith about?
“Tough-as-nails criminal defense attorney Jane Smith is hip-deep in the murder trial of the century. Actually, her charmless client might’ve committed several murders,” reads the official synopsis for the book. “She’s also fallen in love with a wonderful guy. And an equally wonderful dog, a mutt. But Jane doesn’t have much time. She’s just received a terminal diagnosis giving her twelve months. Unless she’s murdered before her expiration date.”
The book is the first in the “Jane Smith” series from Patterson and Lupica, with the second — Hard to Kill — set to release later this month, on July 29, 2024. While no concrete plans have been made for future installments, Deadline reports that naming the series Jane Smith hints that more adaptations could come.
(Source: Deadline)
