Netflix has greenlit the comedy feature “Women Like Us,” bringing together an ensemble cast including Whoopi Goldberg, Jenifer Lewis, Vanessa Williams and Vivica A. Fox. The project reunites the streaming platform with Higher Ground, the media company operated by former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, after an eight-year absence from their initial partnership.
The film centers on a recently widowed woman who is persuaded by her lifelong best friends and sister to join them for a weekend getaway in the Hamptons that coincides with what would have been her 30th wedding anniversary. During the trip, the characters confront themes of grief, marriage and the deep bonds of female friendship, while also discovering that personal aspirations need not be time-bound.
Production is scheduled to commence in the fall in New York City. Tasha Smith, known for television work on “Empire” and Tyler Perry’s “For Better or Worse,” will direct from an original screenplay by Ali Kinney, with additional writing contributions from Tracy Oliver. Smith is also attached to direct the upcoming Netflix film “‘Tis So Sweet,” featuring Taraji P. Henson and Joey Bada$$.
The arrangement marks the first collaboration between the Obamas and MACRO Film Studios co-founder Charles D. King, whose production credits include “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Mudbound” and “Just Mercy.” Michelle Obama and King will serve as executive producers alongside other credited producers James Lopez, Poppy Hanks, Anikah McLaren and Mark R. Wright.
Higher Ground originally signed its partnership with Netflix in 2018 and transitioned to an independent operation in recent years. In 2024, the companies extended their relationship through a multiyear first-look agreement covering all film and television projects developed by the Obamas’ banner.
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