Apple has given a straight-to-series order to "The Last Thing He Told Me," a high-profile limited series set to star Julia Roberts, reports Deadline.
The series is based on author Laura Dave's upcoming novel of the same name, and it is being produced by Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine, which has teamed up with Apple for several shows.
"The Last Thing He Told Me" follows a woman who forms an unexpected relationship with her sixteen-year-old stepdaughter while trying to discover the truth behind why her husband has mysteriously vanished. From the book's description:
Before Owen Michaels disappears, he manages to smuggle a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers: Owen's sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.
As Hannah's increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered; as the FBI arrests Owen's boss; as a US Marshal and FBI agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn't who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen's true identity--and why he really disappeared.
Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth, together. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen's past, they soon realize they are also building a new future. One neither Hannah nor Bailey could have anticipated.
The novel is set to come out on May 4, 2021, and was optioned by Hello Sunshine ahead of its release. Hello Sunshine got Roberts on board, and the series reportedly sparked a bidding war before Apple picked it up. Hello Sunshine has been responsible for other limited series based on books that have proven to be popular, including "Big Little Lies" and "Little Fires Everywhere."
