Hollywood loves a triumphant homecoming with a slow-motion entrance. Reese Witherspoon secured one for Hello Sunshine, the female-focused media company she launched in 2016. Hits including Big Little Lies, The Morning Show, and Daisy Jones & the Six built a production powerhouse.
In 2021, Blackstone-backed Candle Media acquired a controlling stake at a reported $900 million valuation. Fast-forward five years, through layoffs and restructurings, and Witherspoon has bought back her creation.
Unfortunately, this comeback’s opening credits have arrived with a distinctly uncomfortable plot twist.
The buyback and layoffs send Hello Sunshine into a storm
The sunshine forecast just turned stormy, and Hollywood’s business spreadsheet is delivering the jump scare. With help from French production giant Mediawan, Witherspoon reacquired the company for a fraction of its former valuation.
Daisy Jones & The Six Season 1 Premiere – LA HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – FEBRUARY 23: American actress Reese Witherspoon wearing a Schiaparelli dress and Reza jewelry arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Amazon Prime Video s Daisy Jones & The Six Season 1 held at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX on February 23, 2023 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States. Photo by Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency Los Angeles California United States PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRAxSPAxUKxUSAxBELxPOL Copyright: xCollinxXavier/ImagexPressxAgencyxABACAx 843541_123 CollinxXavier/ImagexPressxAgencyxABACAx 843541_123
Daisy Jones & The Six Season 1 Premiere – LA HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – FEBRUARY 23: American actress Ree
Announcing the deal, Witherspoon described it as a “homecoming,” praised Mediawan’s creator-first philosophy, and declared, “The best is still ahead.” The next development landed like a season finale cliffhanger. Roughly 30 employees, representing about half of Hello Sunshine’s workforce, were laid off just weeks after the buyback (via Variety).
The company is concentrating on film, television, and Reese’s Book Club, while its direct-to-consumer operation faces sweeping reductions. The human cost behind those figures is considerable. The company had already weathered at least four rounds of layoffs under Candle Media during the previous two years.
One Hello Sunshine hit, meanwhile, is staging a comeback of its own, complete with Monterey secrets and an unusually brief camera call.
Big Little Lies Season 3 takes its first step toward a Monterey reunion
The Monterey Five have apparently discovered Hollywood’s strangest production schedule: one day of filming, followed by another lengthy intermission. Big Little Lies shot scenes October 29 at Warner Bros. Studios Burbank’s Ranch Lot, reportedly to preserve an approved California tax credit.
Credits: Imago
May 29, 2019 – New York, New York, U.S. – REESE WITHERSPOON, ZOE KRAVITZ, LAURA DERN, SHAILENE WOODLEY, NICOLE KIDMAN, MERYL STREEP at the Big Little Lies Season 2, Red Carpet Premiere,.Jazz at Lincoln Center, Time Warner Center, NYC,.May 29, 2019.Photos by , Photos Inc. New York U.S. – ZUMAms4_ 20190529_zaf_ms4_008
Merrin Dungey returned as Detective Adrienne Quinlan, but Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern, Zoë Kravitz, and Shailene Woodley were absent. Their calendars remain the real supervillains. Full filming is expected in 2027, with Witherspoon and Kidman anticipated to reprise Madeline Mackenzie and Celeste Wright. Liane Moriarty’s sequel novel Big Little Truths supplies the story’s foundation, jumping roughly a decade ahead as the Monterey mothers navigate life with teenage children. HBO has yet to announce a premiere date, meaning fans still have time to revisit every suspicious glance and buried secret.
Can Hello Sunshine rebuild its momentum while Big Little Lies prepares another mystery? Let us know in the comments.
