At the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit, Amazon Studios head, Jennifer Salke, announced the creation of a new show involving Gossip Girl actor, Blake Lively. Salke made the decision to go through with the project right before she made the big announcement, causing Lively to wake up to the news the next morning at her hotel in Rome.
Lively left the television world for several years to focus on roles in movies, such as The Age of Adaline, The Shallows, and most recently, A Simple Favor, currently playing in theatres. Now she is making a return to the TV screen in this scripted, streaming show. The show is said to be based on the world of fashion and includes a merchandising component. Viewers will have the opportunity to shop Lively’s exact looks through Amazon.
It has not yet been revealed whether Lively will star in the series as an actor or if she will remain behind the scenes as a producer. Either way, the fashionable star is sure to bring her knowledge and style to the show, making a mark in the world of fashion.
“She’s a force of nature: ambitious, smart and talented,” Salke said of Lively when announcing their collaboration. They had previously been meeting in New York to discuss the details of the potential new fashion series.
Salke is relatively new to her position, as she filled in for the previous head of Amazon Studios, who was let go due to sexual harassment accusations. This show with Lively forms just one of Salke’s upcoming projects to look out for. Another upcoming series revolving around fashion stars two major faces in fashion: Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn. The duo left Project Runway to sign on with Amazon. Unlike the show with Lively, however, this series will be unscripted. Both shows will use Amazon’s retail component to allow fans of the fashion icons and TV series to purchase the clothing items they see on their own screen. This allows for a more interactive experience, something new in the entertainment world
Although Amazon is a major business in the retail industry, it follows both Netflix and Hulu in popularity when it comes to streaming services. Netflix led the way in creating original series, such as Orange is the New Black and Stranger Things to make the site more unique and brought many more subscribers with this new addition. Hulu followed behind with the creation of The Handmaid’s Tale, and a few other original series. Now is the time for Amazon to push forward with their own original series and using big-name celebrities may be the way to do it.
Little remains on the details of Lively’s new show with Amazon, but more news is sure to be announced in the near future.