First photos from Apple TV+’s Lessons in Chemistry, starring Brie Larson and Lewis Pullman, have been released (Top Gun: Maverick). This Apple Studios comedy, which Larson also executive produces, is written and executive produced by Lee Eisenberg (WeCrashed), who has been nominated for an Emmy Award a whopping six times. The story of Elizabeth Zott (Larson), a woman in the 1950s with dreams of becoming a scientist in a male-dominated society, is at the heart of Lessons in Chemistry, a film based on a novel by novelist, scientific editor, and copywriter Bonnie Garmus of the same name.
She is the lab assistant of renowned scientist Calvin Evans (Pullman), with whom she has strong romantic feelings. But her plans will be put on hold when she discovers she is pregnant, loses her job in the lab, and must rely on her own resourcefulness as a single mother to get by. Her goal in hosting a culinary programme on television is to get her back to her first passion, science, while also helping the world’s neglected housewives. In the first photo, Calvin and Elizabeth are working in the lab, but Elizabeth is the only thing on Calvin’s mind while he sets up their equipment.
The two had a very progressive relationship during the historical period in the novel. Elizabeth is determined to pursue her own scientific career and is unwilling to settle for merely adopting Calvin’s surname and becoming known as the “wife of the great scientist.” Yet, the second picture shows them having fun in the fresh air, so their chemistry must be rather good. Elizabeth’s expression towards Calvin reflects how much she values her time with him. The drama also has a stellar supporting cast that includes Brie Larson, Bill Pullman, and NAACP Award winner Aja Naomi King (How to Get Away with Murder), as well as Emmy and Golden Globe winner Beau Bridges (The Fabulous Baker Boys). Kevin Sussman, Thomas Mann (Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty), Patrick Walker, and Stephanie Koenig round out the group with their own works (Better Call Saul).
Elijah Allan-Blitz will work as a co-executive producer alongside Larson under her The Great Unknown Productions label. The screenplay for Lessons in Chemistry was written by Erin Brockovich’s Susannah Grant, who also serves as an executive producer on the film alongside Emmy winner Jason Bateman and Michael Costigan of Aggregate Films, as well as Eisenberg and Natalie Sandy of Piece of Work Entertainment, and Louise Shore and Stephen Garmus, who serve as co-executive producers. There is currently no official set date for the publication of Lessons in Chemistry.