Kylie Jenner is set to star in and serve as an executive producer on the thriller-drama "Bachelorette Weekend." The project is in final negotiations for a straight-to-series order at Hulu.
This marks Jenner's first major scripted role. With this move, she appears to be following in the career footsteps of her older sister, Kim Kardashian, who has actively expanded into acting and producing after rising to fame through social media and reality shows. Kim Kardashian has also joined the project as an executive producer.
The series unfolds during a bachelorette party held before a wedding. Everything turns into a nightmare when the bride, played by Jenner, is found dead in a swimming pool. After the murder, her closest friends become the prime suspects. The series will gradually reveal the events that led to the tragedy, with Jenner's character at the center of the story.
The project's creator is writer and screenwriter Lauren Oliver. The series is based on an as-yet-unpublished book by Flora Collins, with its television adaptation developed by Oliver's StoryGiants company.
The script was initially presented to Kim Kardashian as a producer. She saw a fitting lead role in the project for her sister, Kylie Jenner, and suggested she read the script. As a result, both sisters joined the project shortly after.
This project is notable not only as another Hollywood thriller but as the latest example of a trend of reality stars moving into "serious" genres. In the case of Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, this is no longer an isolated experiment but part of a family strategy to shift their brand into scripted content.
What's important here is that the lead role went to Jenner, not the more experienced Kardashian. That could mean they are consciously dividing roles: one stays in the producing and business side, the other in the foreground.
It remains to be seen how audiences will receive this transformation, as scripted acting places entirely different demands than reality shows.
