For true crime fans everywhere, the mere thought of a brand new adaptation hitting the small screen is enough to warm the coldest of hearts. From the spine-tingling plots to the chill-inducing scenery, most true crime dramas opt to include a cast of lesser known faces, however, a new take on a famous forensic mystery has rallied in some of Hollywood’s biggest names to retell the story.
HBO’s upcoming the series, The Staircase, has already announced its plans to include A-list stars Toni Collette and Colin Firth in its stellar line up. But now, Sophie Turner is also set to head back to the small screen in one of her first roles since the Game Of Thrones finale in 2019, as per Variety.
An eight-episode series, The Staircase is based on the case of Michael Peterson, a man who was accused of murdering his wife, Kathleen, in their North Carolina home back in 2001.
According to Variety’s report, “He claimed she died after falling down the stairs at their home, but police suspected he bludgeoned her to death and staged the scene to look like an accident.”
While Firth and Collette are set to play Michael Peterson and his wife Kathleen, Turner is reportedly playing Margaret Ratliff, one of Peterson’s adopted daughters.
Joining the trio will also be Parker Posey, Juliette Binoche, and Rosemarie DeWitt whose roles in the series are currently unknown.
As for Turner, her most recent stints onscreen have included her role as Jean Grey in X-Men: Apocalypse and X-Men: Dark Phoenix, as well as her role in Quibi’s Survive, which debuted last year.
The Staircase will mark Turner’s first acting role since the birth of her daughter, Willa, with husband Joe Jonas in July 2020.
Written and executive produced by Antonio Campos and Maggie Cohn, the TV series will join previous on-screen adaptations of the case, in particular Netflix’s 2018 documentary that taught viewers more about hard-hitting facts—and an obscure owl theory—compared to this adaptation.
When it comes to a release date for The Staircase, there has been no confirmed date yet but HBO acquired the series in March, so we’re hoping to have an update on the status soon.
