Has any series in recent memory taken as long to get to the screen as “Ripley,” the new Tom Ripley/Patricia Highsmith adaptation from Oscar-winning writer/director/producer Steven Zaillian (“Schindler’s List,” “Moneyball,” “The Irishman”). The most recent iteration of this project, starring Andrew Scott from “Fleabag” and this year’s critically-acclaimed, “All of Us Strangers,” was first announced in 2019. And it’s been on our Most Anticipated TV Series of the year lists for a few years running now.
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But it had run into issues, one of them primarily being that the series was originally a Showtime series. But even months before it was announced that Showtime was folding into Paramount+—perhaps the teams knew what was coming—the series was quietly sold off to Netflix in February 2023.
And well, now it’s finally done and ready, though Netflix isn’t committing to a date beyond TBD 2024.
A psychological thriller, when first announced, “Ripley” was eight episodes, and that’s presumably the same length now. The limited series was created, written, and directed entirely by Steven Zaillian, an Oscar winner who’s been nominated five different times for various screenplays such as “Gangs Of New York” and “Awakenings.” Zaillain’s directing credits also include “Searching For Bobby Fischer” and the excellent 2016 HBO series, “The Night Of” starring Riz Ahmed.
This new version of the Tom Ripley story stars Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley, Johnny Flynn as Dickie Greenleaf, and Dakota Fanning as Marge Sherwood,
Here’s the official synopsis:
The drama is based on Patricia Highsmith’s bestselling Tom Ripley novels. In the series, Tom Ripley (Andrew Scott), a grifter scraping by in early 1960s New York, is hired by a wealthy man to travel to Italy to try to convince his vagabond son Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn) to return home. Tom’s acceptance of the job is the first step into a complex life of deceit, fraud, and murder. Dakota Fanning plays Marge Sherwood, an American living in Italy who suspects darker motives underlie Tom’s affability.
The highly-anticipated limited series drama Ripley, starring Andrew Scott, will premiere on Netflix in 2024, and that’s all the details we’ll get for now. Take a look at the first look images below.