David Farnor | On 11, Nov 2019

Zoe Saldana and Reese Witherspoon are teaming up for From Scratch a new limited series for Netflix.

Starring and executive produced by the Star Trek and Guardians of the Galaxy star, the series is based on Tembi Locke’s best-selling memoir.

The sweeping, autobiographical romance follows an American woman as she falls in love while studying abroad then attempts to build a life with the guy back home. But when she loses him to illness, she has to grieve and keep life on track so she can not only look after herself but also raise their daughter.

The series is produced by Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine banner and 3 Arts Entertainment, with Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter exec producing for the former and Richard Abate, Jermaine Johnson and Will Rowbotham exec-producing for the latter. Locke’s sister, Attica Locke (Empire, When They See Us), will serve as showrunner and executive producer alongside Saldana. Saldana’s sisters, Cisely Saldana and Mariel Saldana, will co-produce.

“Attica and I are honored to be adapting From Scratch with the visionary Reese Witherspoon, Lauren Neustadter, Richard Abate and the incredibly gifted Zoe Saldana,” said Tembi Locke in a statement. “We have a shared interest in championing stories that bring a rich tapestry of experiences to the screen. I am thrilled that this global love story has found a perfect home at Netflix.”

Saldana added: “This is a profound true story of love and family, deprivation and nourishment, that needs to be brought to life on the screen as Tembi Locke brought it vividly to life for me on the page. We are grateful to Netflix and thrilled to be working with Reese, Lauren, Attica and 3 Arts on this wonderful project.”

Witherspoon commented: “Tembi’s memoir is a raw and tender exhibition of life in all its pieces. She brings you into her love, her loss and her resilience with such vulnerability and strength. We immediately fell for Attica and Tembi’s vision and feel honored to have the opportunity to help bring it to life onscreen. We could not imagine more perfect partners for this than Zoe and her sisters and 3 Arts Entertainment, along with the incredible team at Netflix.”

Channing Dungey, VP Original Series at Netflix, said: “Between the Locke sisters and the Saldana sisters, I’ve never seen a show that’s more of a family affair. Reese Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine have been producing really exciting content, and we’re thrilled to make this powerful and emotional series with them.”

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