‘Sherlock’ star will lead cast of new ‘The Talented Mr Ripley’ TV series
A new television adaptation of The Talented Mr Ripley is on the way.
The first of Patricia Highsmith’s five novels was previously made into a successful movie in 1999, starring Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Set in the 1960s, the stories are now coming to TV in a new ongoing series for Showtime from Schindler’s List writer Steven Zaillian.
Zaillian will write and direct all eight episodes, TV Line reports.
Playing the title character will be Irish actor Andrew Scott, best known for his role as Moriarty in the BBC’s hit Sherlock series.
The 42-year-old will star as Tom Ripley, “a grifter who is barely scraping by in 1960s New York when he’s hired to travel to Italy to retrieve a wealthy man’s son.”
The official synopsis teases that “Tom’s acceptance of the job is the first step into a complex life of deceit, fraud and murder.”
Showtime entertainment president Gary Levine commented: “We are so thrilled to have the supremely talented filmmaker, Steve Zaillian, adapt the singular saga of Tom Ripley from Patricia Highsmith’s novels as an ongoing series for Showtime. With Andrew Scott, whose charisma knows no bounds, inhabiting the iconic lead role, we feel confident that this will be a special one.”
The first season of The Talented Mr Ripley is expected to premiere on Showtime in late 2020.
The complete Sherlock box set is available on DVD on Amazon.