Gwyneth Paltrow's much-anticipated new TV adaptation of best-selling memoir gets home with streaming giant
The new project will follow a privileged woman whose husband of 20 years suddenly decides to leave her.
Gwyneth Paltrow is set to star in a massive new series based on a best-selling memoir – with Netflix landing the rights to the series.
The streaming service won a bidding war for the upcoming project, which will tell the story written in Strangers: A Memoir of a Marriage by Belle Burden.
According to Hollywood Reporter, Netflix has agreed to a reported seven-figure deal to secure the screen rights to the story.
Oscar-winning actress Paltrow, who was most recently seen alongside Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme, has agreed to come on board as both the lead star of the project and the executive producer.
Strangers: A Memoir of a Marriage follows the story of Burden, whose privileged life was shattered when, just a week into the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, her husband of 20 years announced he was leaving her.
A successful lawyer, born and raised in New York by a wealthy family, Burden believed she had a happy marriage with her husband — that was until he suddenly asked for a divorce.
Coming to terms with the sudden departure of her husband, Burden had to start a new life as a single mum-of-three.
In 2023, she published an essay about her divorce, titled ‘Was I Married to a Stranger?’, for New York Times, which was later adapted into an episode of the column's podcast. Burden's full-length memoir later followed.
When Strangers: A Memoir of a Marriage was released in January this year, it hit the top of the New York Times bestseller list, and launched tense negotiations for a screen adaptation.
Netflix won the bidding war for the project ahead of A24, Warner, Sony and Amazon, who were all reportedly in the running. It is not known when filming is set to begin, or when the project will be released.
On top of Paltrow’s involvement, the script will be written by playwright Heidi Schreck, with Stacey Sher – whose previous work includes Erin Brockovich, Matilda and Pulp Fiction – on board as producer.
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Authors
Tilly Pearce is a freelance TV journalist whose coverage ranges from reality shows like Love Is Blind to sci-fi shows like Fallout. She is an NCTJ Gold Standard accredited journalist, who has previously worked as Deputy TV Editor (maternity cover) at Digital Spy, and Deputy TV & Showbiz Editor at Daily Express US.
