Scarlett Johansson is heading back to the Upper East Side — and this time, she’s calling the shots.

Netflix has confirmed it’s developing a series adaptation of The Nanny Diaries, the iconic #1 New York Times bestselling novel that captivated readers more than two decades ago.

Johansson, who played Annie in the beloved 2007 film version, is stepping behind the camera as executive producer — and the creative team assembled around her is seriously impressive.

Here’s everything we know about the project that could be Netflix’s next big prestige drama.

From the Big Screen to the Streaming Giant

The original The Nanny Diaries novel, written by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus — both former nannies themselves — hit shelves in 2002 and became a cultural phenomenon.

Translated into more than 20 languages, it was the kind of book that made readers laugh, cringe, and feel seen all at once. The 2007 film brought it to life with a star-studded cast including Johansson, Laura Linney, Paul Giamatti, and a then-rising Chris Evans.

Now, nearly 20 years later, the story is getting a second life — and a much bigger canvas to work with.

How Johansson and Berlanti Made It Happen

The origin story of this adaptation is almost as compelling as the show itself.

Johansson and producer Greg Berlanti — the powerhouse behind some of television’s most successful franchises — first floated the idea of turning the novel into a series while on set together filming Apple’s 2024 movie Fly Me to the Moon, which Berlanti directed and Johansson starred in.

That on-set conversation turned into something real, fast. Berlanti Productions, which operates under an overall deal with Warner Bros. Television, is producing the series alongside Johansson’s production company, These Pictures.

The Showrunner Dream Team Behind the Camera

If the producing team doesn’t already have you sold, the writing duo helming the project absolutely should.

Amy Chozick and Jenny Bicks are co-writing and co-showrunning the series — two names that carry serious prestige in the industry.

Chozick, a veteran New York Times journalist and author of the bestselling memoir Chasing Hillary, previously adapted her own work into the HBO Max series The Girls on the Bus. She knows how to translate sharp, culturally astute storytelling from the page to the screen.

Bicks brings a pedigree that speaks for itself. She’s a Sex and the City alum who wrote across all six seasons of the legendary HBO series and rose to executive producer, earning a share of its Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy Award. Her credits also span Seinfeld, Dawson’s Creek, and feature films including The Greatest Showman.

Crucially, Bicks previously worked with Berlanti on Dawson’s Creek — so this team already has chemistry before a single scene is shot.

What the Show Is Actually About

At its core, The Nanny Diaries series centers on Annie, a broke and ambitious young writer desperate for a story worth telling.

She takes a nanny position working for a glamorous Upper East Side socialite and quickly finds herself swallowed whole by a world of obscene wealth and secret dysfunction. When Annie lands a book deal to go undercover and expose the scandalous lives of the ultra-rich, she has to maintain a dangerous double life — even as her attachment to this glittering world, and the complicated people in it, begins to deepen.

And then there’s the question of what her mysterious, magnetic boss is truly capable of. That particular thread alone promises to keep audiences hooked.

Why Netflix Is the Perfect Home for This Story

Netflix has quietly built one of the most formidable book-to-screen pipelines in the entertainment industry — and the numbers back it up.

In 2025 alone, book adaptations on Netflix generated over 9 billion global views, accounting for nearly 20% of total view hours. A book adaptation appeared in Netflix’s Global Top 10 every single week — a streak that has held through the first 13 weeks of this year.

Titles like Bridgerton, The Queen’s Gambit, and Leave the World Behind have all proven the platform’s ability to transform beloved literary properties into must-watch cultural events. The Nanny Diaries slots perfectly into that legacy.

The streamer’s adaptations have even boosted book sales in remarkable ways. After the film People We Meet on Vacation dropped on Netflix, Emily Henry’s source novel saw a 97% spike in sales across all formats within just two weeks, according to Penguin Publishing Group.

A Star-Studded Executive Producer List

The producing credits on this project read like a who’s-who of Hollywood power players.

Joining Berlanti and Johansson in the executive producer role are Sarah Schechter, Leigh London Redman, and Nikki Cooper Molina from Berlanti Productions; Jonathan Lia and Keenan Flynn from These Pictures; and Gary Barber and Sean Hoagland from Spyglass Media Group.

Warner Bros. Television is the studio behind the production — adding yet another industry heavyweight to an already stacked lineup.

What’s Next for Johansson as a Producer

This project signals a meaningful evolution for Johansson, one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars, as she expands her footprint on the production side of the business.

Returning to a story she first told almost two decades ago — this time with creative control — suggests a calculated and deeply personal investment in seeing The Nanny Diaries done right.

The Nanny Diaries joins Netflix’s already stacked upcoming adaptation slate, which includes Black Hole, The Corrections, East of Eden, Pride and Prejudice, and Little House on the Prairie. With a story this juicy, a showrunner team this sharp, and Johansson’s star power driving the project forward, this one is absolutely worth watching.