Renée Zellweger will headline a television adaptation of James Patterson and Mike Lupica’s 12 Months To Live, Variety reports.
Patterson and Lupica’s thriller, published last year by Little, Brown, follows Jane Smith, a defense attorney who is given a terminal diagnosis in the middle of a trial in which she is representing an accused murderer. The novel is the first in a planned series; the second installment, Hard To Kill, is slated for publication later this month.
A critic for Kirkus didn’t care for the book, calling it “as fast-moving and forgettable as that fly you keep swatting in vain.”
The series adaptation is being developed by Max under the working title Jane Smith. Zellweger, who won Academy Awards for her performances in Cold Mountain and Judy and who memorably portrayed Bridget Jones in the series of films based on Helen Fielding’s books, will play the title role.
Miki Johnson (Ozark, Presumed Innocent) will write and executive produce the series. Zellweger, Patterson, and David E. Kelley will also serve as executive producers.
News of the series comes days after the announcement of the November premiere date of Cross, the upcoming Prime Video series based on Patterson’s novels featuring the police detective Alex Cross.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
