We haven’t seen Renée Zellweger start in many TV projects, but her next big role is finally on the horizon. The two-time Oscar-winning actress landed the titular role in the upcoming Max legal thriller Jane Smith, based on one of James Patterson’s bestselling novels.
The show’s official logline describes Zellweger’s character as “a brilliant, tough, and darkly funny defense attorney in the Hamptons” who’s always only cared about winning. That changes when she’s diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor on the eve of the biggest case of her career, and she refuses to let her death sentence stop her from solving this case.
12 Months to Live by James Patterson and Mike Lupica served as inspiration for this series. Miki Johnson is adapting it for Max and he’ll serve as its showrunner and one of the executive producers, along with Zellweger, Patterson, and David E. Kelley, among others.
Jane Smith marks Zellweger’s latest attempt to make a transition to TV, following a supporting role in Netflix’s What/If and the leading part in NBC’s true crime drama The Thing About Pam. On the movie side, we haven’t seen her take any roles since winning her second Oscar for Judy, but she’ll soon return as Bridget Jones in Mad About the Boy, which is currently in production.
