Following an intense bidding war, Variety brings word that Apple has successfully won the rights to the series adaptation of author Bonnie Garmus’ upcoming debut novel titled Lessons in Chemistry with Oscar-winner Brie Larson officially signing on for the leading role. Apple has immediately granted the project a straight-to-series order with Larson also set to executive produce.
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Set in the early 1960s, Lessons in Chemistry follows Elizabeth Zott (Larson), whose dream of being a scientist is put on hold in a society deeming that women belong in the domestic sphere, not the professional one. When Elizabeth finds herself pregnant, alone, and fired from her lab, she musters the ingenuity only a single mother has. She accepts a job as a host on a TV cooking show, and sets out to teach a nation of overlooked housewives – and the men who are suddenly listening – a lot more than recipes… all the while craving a return to her true love: science.
The series will be written and executive produced by Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich). It will also be executive produced by Jason Bateman and Michael Costigan through their Aggregate Films banner with Apple Studios also set as a producer.
Garmus’ debut novel is scheduled to launch in the Spring of 2022.
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This project also marks Larson’s second collaboration with Apple as she is also set to lead in Apple TV+’s upcoming CIA drama which will be based on the real experiences of Amyrillis Fox.
Larson gained critical recognition for her performance in 2013’s Short Term 12 and 2015’s Room with the latter earning her an Academy Award for Best Actress. After that, she found blockbuster success for starring in Marvel Studios’ first female-led MCU movie, Captain Marvel and in Avengers: Endgame. She is set to reprise the superhero in the upcoming Captain Marvel sequel that will be directed by Nia DaCosta.
(Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)
