After a string of dramatic roles, Oscar winner Julianne Moore is stepping into the light as executive producer and star in a new Netflix comedy.
The untitled project comes from Higher Ground, a production venture founded by Barack and Michelle Obama. Described as a multigenerational story in the vein of “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” the film follows a mother (Moore) who panics when her daughter is offered a promotion that will take her across the country. Desperate, she scrambles to find the perfect lover to keep her daughter at home.
The ensemble production will feature “four roles,” one person said, with casting for the remaining three roles expected to begin in the coming days. The film’s script was written by Maggie Sheridan, who most recently served as executive story editor on Season 3 of Maya Rudolph’s Apple and Universal Television’s Root. Prior to “Loot,” she worked for acclaimed screenwriter and producer Alan Yang (“Master of None”).
Higher Ground’s Annika McLaren is producing the comedy with Moore as EP. The film is the latest collaboration between the streamer and the Obamas, who enjoy a first-look deal on Netflix. Additional titles include the upcoming releases “All the Sinners Bleed” and “The Altruists.”
Moore’s recent credits include the deliciously subversive black comedy “May December” with Todd Haynes. “The Room Next Door” was Pedro Almodovar’s first English-language film. and “Echo Valley” from Brad Ingelsby, creator of “Mares of Easttown.” She will next be seen on Jesse Eisenberg’s A24’s “Debut.” Tom Ford’s long-awaited third feature film “Cry to Heaven” is now in theaters.
Mr. Moore is repped by WME, Entertainment 360, and Edelstein, Laird & Sobel. Sheridan is repped by WME, Ginsburg Daniels Callis and Adventure Media.
Netflix’s film team has been into high-concept romantic comedies lately, announcing projects such as an untitled culture-clash love story between Blackpink’s Lisa and “The White Lotus” producer Dave Barnado. Also included is a body-swap romance in the style of Jennifer Garner’s classic “13 Going on 30,” starring Emily Bader, and a Berlanti and Schechter film that has been described as a combination of “Legally Blonde” and “War of the Roses.”
