Reese Witherspoon set to play an astronaut in new drama

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/may/13/reese-witherspoon-astronaut-new-drama-pale-blue-dot

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After reviving her career with an Oscar-nominated performance in Wild, Reese Witherspoon is taking on another awards-friendly role in a new drama called Pale Blue Dot.

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The actor, who previously won the best actress Oscar for playing June Carter in Walk the Line, will play an astronaut who finds life difficult after returning from a mission in space, as her sense of reality threatens to destroy her family life.

Witherspoon will also produce, as she did on Wild and hit thriller Gone Girl. The script comes from newcomers Brian C Brown and Elliott DiGuiseppi, who have also written the acclaimed Black List script Uncle Shelby, which is yet to find a home.

While Witherspoon’s career did receive a jump-start with a best actress nomination for Wild, she’s suffered a misstep this past weekend with a role in critically lambasted comedy Hot Pursuit. The film, which also stars Sofia Vergara, was a box office disappointment, making just $13.3m in its first weekend.

Up next for Witherspoon is a role opposite Nicole Kidman in the HBO mini-series Big Little Lies, a dark comedy about a group of mothers whose lives start to fall apart. She is also attached to Wish List, a comedy from Bridesmaids director Paul Feig, and recently picked up the rights to Second Life, a thriller in which she may star.