Julia Roberts to Star in Apple TV+ Miniseries

The idea of Julia Roberts starring in a television series sounded inconceivable until just two years ago when she starred in Amazon's Homecoming. That has all changed now, as Roberts has signed on another series, this time for Apple TV+. Roberts will star in a miniseries based on The Last Thing He Told Me, an upcoming novel by Laura Dave. The series will be executive produced by Roberts and Reese Witherspoon, who worked with Apple TV+ on The Morning Show.

In The Last Thing He Told Me, Roberts will star as a woman who starts an unexpected relationship with her 16-year-old stepdaughter while they try to find her husband, who has mysteriously disappeared. Dave will write the script and co-created the series with Spotlight writer Josh Singer, reports TVLine. Witherspoon is serving as an executive producer through her Hello Sunshine production company. The company was also involved in Big Little Lies and Little Fires Everywhere.

The Last Thing He Told Me will be released on May 4. According to the publisher's description, the book begins with Hannah Hall receiving a note from her husband, Owen Michaels, telling her to protect his daughter, Bailey, whose mother died tragically. Bailey does not want anything to do with Hannah, but they decide to work together to find Owen after he goes disappearing. During the search, Hannah learns Owen is not the person she thought he was. Dave's other books include Hello Sunshine and Eight Hundred Grapes.

This is the latest television project for Roberts, who rarely ever appeared on series outside of one-time cameos before 2018. That year, she starred in the first season of Amazon's acclaimed series Homecoming. She is planning to work with Amazon again for an adaptation of Jo Piazza's novel Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win, and a long-gestating HBO miniseries called Today Will Be Different, based on Maria Semple's book. Roberts also plans to work with Homecoming executive producer Sam Esmail on an adaptation of another podcast, Slow Burn.

Roberts was last seen on the big screen in 2018's Ben is Back. In a 2018 interview with Variety, Roberts admitted she did not see much of a difference between working in television and movies today because the talent on television is so good today. "Everything is just so good, the bar is just so high, and for me, it's just nice to bring something into people's homes," she said. "We're like a delivery service — we're delivering entertainment into your homes."