The entertainer shared the news on Instagram in a lengthy caption.
Jessica Simpson is living a dream. It was announced on Monday that a 30-minute, scripted pilot based on Simpson's hugely successful 2020 memoir, Open Book, is headed to Amazon Freevee, with Katelyn Tarver playing the female lead alongside John Stamos starring as the male lead.
Hours after the news made headlines, Simpson took to Instagram to share her excitement. "I finally get to say what I have been wantin’ to say for years now so bear with me as I type through streaming (pun intended) tears of joy and Grace (another pun I can’t tell you about yet 😜)," she began. "Open Book has opened the door to all of my wildest dreams as an artist, author and entertainer. This project holds my heart completely, infatuates my mind on every level, and deeply seduces my soul to the core."
"I have spoken about determined patience frequently. Not until now, in this very moment do I get to share the reward of how it feels on this side of the rainbow," she added, before going on to gush over her admiration for writer Tom Kapinos, who is writing the script. "I have been obsessed with @tomkapinos as much as any artist or literary student has been since the days of HS being a Dawson’s Creek fan geek-to my personal coming of age years of self discovery a bit later in life after divorce watchin’ the PILOT BIBLE of Californication in 2007!"
Simpson said that "all [stars] have aligned" to create the dream team for this project, which includes creator, writer, "EP-TK Dir/EP Adam Bernstein who innately has an artistic capability to make you feel every emotion in less than 30 mins with his dynamic range that is beyond measure leavin’ you obsessive," as well as DP Giles Dunning, Patrick Moran, Lacy Lynch, and Lauren Auslander.
"Y’all have made me feel safe inside my passion with leadership when I’ve wanted to fall into insecurities," she said of the aforementioned team. "Ya’ll continued to remind me thru this entire process to walk through my fears."
When it comes to Tarver, who will portray Sadie Sparrow and Stamos' Butch, Simpson shared: "@KatelynTarver, it is an honor to find myself in your eyes. It is your time to shine beautiful. @JohnStamos, I am so grateful to work alongside a legend, but even more so, I am VERY ready to watch you break the mold as Butch Thorne, always makin us swoon!"
According to Variety, the show's logline reads: "Open Book follows pop star Sadie Sparrow’s mid-twenties rise from ingenue to mogul, introducing us to the family, friends, and lovers she collects along the way. Touching on themes of love, friendship, divorce, family and sisterhood, relationships, soul connections, Hollywood and the music business, Open Book follows Sadie’s unexpected journey as she ultimately comes to embrace herself and the fact that her heart inevitably wants what it wants at every stage of life."
Tarver's character is described as "a hot ‘of-the-moment pop star’ from a singing competition show, who seemingly has it all – legs for days, glorious hair and a powerhouse voice. An adorable combo of sunshine and sin, Sadie Sparrow always maintained a ‘good girl’ image on her rise to fame, but her wild side has begun to emerge as life in the spotlight becomes predictably messy. As the relationship drama piles on and her career hangs in the balance, Sadie can’t decide if she should do things by the book, or start breaking some rules.”
As for Stamos' Butch, he is referred to as: "Once a young and pretty singer-songwriter on top of the world, Butch Thorn went through one-too-many divorces and far too many drinks, eventually securing his own fall from grace. Despite his self-destructive tendencies, Butch still maintains a dangerous charm and his signature voice. He’s attracted to Sadie and the two make an immediate connection, which makes things awkward when he realizes she’s the young pop star he’s been tasked to write songs with."
Tarver took to Instagram on Monday as well, gushing, "WHAT IS LIFE. Freaking out so excited so grateful."
Simpson released her memoir in February 2020. In the book, she shared intimate details about her personal life, and got candid about suffering sexual abuse as a child, her high-profile relationships with John Mayer and Nick Lachey, and her decades-long struggle with alcohol, among other things.
After the book was released, Simpson signed a multi-media rights deal with Amazon, which included a series of unscripted stories from Amazon Original Stories.
For more on Simpson's memoir, watch the video below.
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