Jenna Bush Hager celebrates 'dream' new role away from Today – details

The Today with Hoda & Jenna is branching out


jenna bush hager happy
On 29 July 2022

Jenna Bush Hager has announced an exciting new role away from Today – but it's still TV-related.

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The Today with Hoda & Jenna star has teamed up with Universal International Studios as part of her production company's first-look deal, to develop a series adaptation of Kirk Wallace Johnson's bestselling true-crime book, The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century.

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Jenna and Universal will be working with Kirk to bring the book to the small screen, marking her debut project in production at Universal Studio Group.

The TV star's production company works in collaboration with USG to adapt some of Jenna's favorite novels which have been part of her three-year book club, Read with Jenna.

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"The Feather Thief has been a favorite book of mine since its release in 2018," Jenna told Deadline. "Kirk Wallace Johnson is a talented storyteller, and to work with him to adapt this wildly brilliant book for the screen is a dream."

© Photo: Instagram

Jenna will bring The Feather Thief to the small screen

Per the synopsis, The Feather Thief is a gripping story of a bizarre and shocking crime, and one man's relentless pursuit of justice. It was an Amazon Best Book of 2018 and short-listed for The Gold Dagger Award, Edgar Award, Carnegie Medal, and has been translated into a dozen languages.

Jenna first shared news of her production company in February, and it has not interfered with her role on the fourth hour of the hit NBC show, Today with Hoda & Jenna.

© Photo: Instagram

Jenna is the founder of Today's book club #ReadWithJenna

"What makes me most excited is that I love all these authors, so I want as many audiences as possible to get to see their work," she told her co-host, Hoda Kotb, at the time.

Jenna's book club picks a new and diverse author each month and has so far included Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow, Groundskeeping by Lee Cole, and Bright Burning Things by Lisa Harding.

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