HBO Max Orders Julia Child Series About Her Life & Cooking Show, ‘The French Chef’

The French Chef Julia Child
Courtesy of Everett Collection

HBO Max has announced a first season 8-episode order for Julia, inspired by Julia Child’s life and her long-running TV series The French Chef.

Sarah Lancashire and David Hyde Pierce star as Julia and Paul Child in the project directed by Charles McDougall and written by Daniel Goldfarb. Production for the series will begin later this spring in Boston where the pilot was filmed.

The French Chef ran from 1962 to 1972, and through the lens of Julia Child’s infectious can-do attitude, the show will also touch upon issues ranging from the emergence of public television to feminism and America’s changing culture.

The cast also includes Brittany Bradford, Franz Kranz, Fiona Glascott, Bebe Neuwirth, Isabella Rossellini, and Jefferson Mays.

Sarah Lancashire David Hyde Pierce

(Credit: Yui Mok-WPA Pool/Getty Images; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

“We are so happy to help bring the incomparable Julia Child back to the small screen, when we need her more than ever. This show’s look into her life, marriage, and trailblazing career as she transformed the way we talk about food is an absolute delight,” said Sarah Aubrey, head of original content, HBO Max, in a statement.

Julia, TBA, HBO Max