LIFE & CULTURE

Mila Kunis To Star In Reese Witherspoon’s Latest Mystery Thriller, ‘Luckiest Girl Alive’

The film will be based on Jessica Knoll's best-selling novel

Reese Witherspoon has firmly cemented her reputation for turning best-selling novels into box office hits—from award-winning series such as Big Little Lies to Little Fires Everywhere, as well as the upcoming adaptation of Delia Owens’ Where The Crawdads Singthere’s no denying the actress-turned-producer knows onscreen magic when she reads it. 

Mila Kunis is set to star in an adaptation from Witherspoon’s production company, with Bruna Papandrea set to produce. The film will take on Jessica Knoll’s 2015 New York Times best-seller, Luckiest Girl Alive. 

Knoll will write the screenplay, while Mike Barker, who served as a director and executive producer of The Handmaid’s Tale, will direct.

Below, everything to know about Luckiest Girl Alive. 

What Is Luckiest Girl Alive About? 

Jessica Knoll’s debut novel revolves around Ani FaNelli, a women’s magazine editor who is preparing to wed in Nantucket. However, her seemingly perfect life begins to unravel when she’s interviewed for a crime documentary, recalling horrifying incidents of her past including a school shooting and being sexually assaulted. 

Is Luckiest Girl Alive Based On True Events?

Knoll initially claimed the gang rape in the novel was fiction, but later wrote an essay admitting that it was drawn from her own traumatic experience as a teenager. “I was so conditioned to not talk about it that it didn’t even occur to me to be forthcoming,” she told The New York Times in 2016. “I want to make people feel like they can talk about it like they don’t have to be ashamed of it.”

Who Has Been Cast In Luckiest Girl Alive? 

Mila Kunis will take on the upcoming film’s title character, Ani FaNelli. No other casting choices have been announced. 

In response to the casting news, Knoll wrote on Instagram, “This has been six years of relentless rewriting, rejections, studio changes, and torturous stretches of stagnation. I am SO proud of the fact that Mila Kunis read the 63rd draft of my script and was like yeah, I get this girl, and so grateful for her shrewd third act notes that helped me take the 64th draft into another stratosphere. And I am SO grateful to team Luckiest Girl Alive who never gave up on this project and fought so hard to get us to this point.”

When Will Luckiest Girl Alive Be Released? 

A release date has yet to be confirmed. As we wait for Kunis’ performance, you can find Knoll’s book here

luckiest girl alive

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