Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine banner has inked a deal with Starz to develop “Kin,” Variety has learned.
The multi-generational family drama comes from “Queen Sugar” and “Constantine” writer Davita Scarlett, who developed the project with Chester Jones III. Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine film and TV head Lauren Neustadter are on board as executive producers alongside Scarlett.
“The opportunity to work in partnership with Davita Scarlett as well as Reese Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine on this series is serendipitous,” Starz president of programming Carmi Zlotnik said in a statement. “Hello Sunshine puts women at the forefront of the stories they are telling, and that fits perfectly into Starz’s overall programming strategy to offer compelling content that appeals to female audiences.”
Witherspoon described Scarlett’s script as “utterly original, complex, and incredibly nuanced.”
“She deftly explores issues around identity and the secrets family members keep to protect themselves and one another. I’m so excited to team up with Starz to bring these strong, memorable female characters to life on screen,” Witherspoon said.
The story for “Kin” centers around three generations of women who are thrust together when their dynamic and controversial matriarch moves back to town. The series will explore issues of “racial identity, integrity, and the notion that blood is thicker than water,” according to Starz.
Hello Sunshine is represented by CAA and Gretchen Rush. Scarlett is repped by ICM.
Starz is set to retain all domestic multiplatform pay TV and SVOD rights to the series, while Lionsgate will hold all international and domestic distribution, and home entertainment rights. Director of original programming Samantha Offsay and senior VPs of original programming Susan Lewis and Kathryn Tyus-Adair will oversee the series for Starz.