Here’s hoping Hailee Steinfeld paid attention in English class: Apple announced Wednesday that the Oscar-nominated actress will star as Emily Dickinson in its newest comedy project.
Dickinson, which received a straight-to-series order, will tell the titular poet’s coming-of-age story. Described as “one woman’s fight to get her voice heard,” the half-hour comedy will explore the constraints of society, gender and family from the perspective of a budding writer who doesn’t fit in to her own time. The series will be set in Dickinson’s era, the 1800s, with a modern sensibility and tone.
Alena Smith (The Affair) will write and executive-produce Dickinson alongside David Gordon Green (Vice Principals), who will also direct.
Dickinson marks Steinfeld’s first major TV role. She is best known for her work in film, including The Edge of Seventeen, two Pitch Perfect installments and True Grit, which earned her an Oscar nomination in 2011 for Best Supporting Actress. She has also carved out a career in pop music and is currently recording her first album.
Apple has recently made a big push for scripted content: Thus far this year, the tech giant has ordered a Reese Witherspoon-produced comedy series starring Kristen Wiig, a drama project from La La Land director Damien Chazelle and a psychological thriller from M. Night Shyamalan, to name a few.