David Farnor | On 22, Apr 2022

Sky will climb The Staircase this May, and a new trailer gives us a first look at the star-studded drama based on the true crime documentary.

The original 2004 series follows the death of Kathleen, wife of crime novelist Michael Peterson. When she was found dead at the bottom of their home’s staircase, Peterson was accused of her murder, prompting a 16-year legal battle to determine what happened and whether he was guilty. Director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade got unprecedented access to the case, capturing every step of the story over 10 episodes – with Netflix then commissioning an additional three exclusive episodes to continue the story in 2018. (You can read our review of the docuseries here.)

Now, showrunners Antonio Campos (The Devil All The Time, Christine) and Maggie Cohn (Versace) will further explore the life of Michael Peterson, his North Carolina family, and the suspicious death of his wife, Kathleen Peterson.

Colin Firth and Toni Collette will star in the drama as Michael and Kathleen, with the cast also including Michael Stuhlbarg (Your Honor), Juliette Binoche (Chocolat), Dane DeHaan (ZeroZeroZero), Olivia DeJonge (Elvis), Rosemarie DeWitt (Little Fires Everywhere), Tim Guinee (Inventing Anna), Patrick Schwarzenegger (Moxie), Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones), Vincent Vermignon (Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion), Odessa Young (Shirley) and Parker Posey (Lost in Space).

You can see them in action on 5th May, when the HBO Max series premieres on Sky and NOW.

 

First look: Colin Firth, Toni Collette star in The Staircase

24th March 2022

The hit true crime documentary The Staircase is getting the dramatic treatment, with Colin Firth and Toni Collette to star in the new scripted series.

The original 2004 documentary follows the death of Kathleen, wife of crime novelist Michael Peterson. When she was found dead at the bottom of their home’s staircase, Peterson was accused of her murder, prompting a 16-year legal battle to determine what happened and whether he was guilty. Director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade got unprecedented access to the case, capturing every step of the story over 10 episodes – with Netflix then commissioning an additional three exclusive episodes to continue the story in 2018. (You can read our review of the docuseries here.)

Now, Colin Firth and Toni Collette will bring the real story to life in a new way, with Firth to play Michael and Collette to play Kathleen. Co-produced by Annapurna Television, the eight-episode drama is written and executive produced by showrunners Antonio Campos (The Devil All The Time, Christine) and Maggie Cohn (Versace). Campos also directs six episodes, with Leigh Janiak directing two episodes. The series further explores the life of Michael Peterson, his sprawling North Carolina family, and the suspicious death of his wife, Kathleen Peterson.

Starring alongside Colin Firth and Toni Collette are Michael Stuhlbarg (Your Honor), Juliette Binoche (Chocolat), Dane DeHaan (ZeroZeroZero), Olivia DeJonge (Elvis), Rosemarie DeWitt (Little Fires Everywhere), Tim Guinee (Inventing Anna), Patrick Schwarzenegger (Moxie), Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones), Vincent Vermignon (Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion), Odessa Young (Shirley) and Parker Posey (Lost in Space).

The series will premiere on HBO Max in the USA and will air on Sky and NOW in the UK. It will premiere this spring, with an air date to be confirmed soon.

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