Acclaimed actor Andrew Scott, acclaimed for his performance in All of Us Strangers, is ready to make his Netflix debut with the highly anticipated series, Ripley. Based on Patricia Highsmith’s internationally renowned novel series, Ripley watches as Scott’s character enters a world of extravagance and resorts to extreme means to secure his place by the side of his affluent acquaintance, Dickie Greenleaf. In a major shift in strategy, Showtime’s hit crime drama has been taken over by Netflix, as the institution plans to launch a Yellowstone-style TV franchise expansion for its future content.
According to VF, Ripley embarks on a journey from being an ordinary con artist in early-1960s New York. Hired by a man of immense wealth to persuade his rebellious son, Dickie Greenleaf, to return home from Italy, Ripley starts to appreciate the lavish lifestyle and goes to great lengths, including fraud and murder, to remain in Greenleaf’s good graces.
Scott shared insights into how he approached the part. He argued that actors should love and advocate for their characters, and they should focus on understanding their characters rather than playing the opinions and attitudes others might have about them.
“I feel like you’re required to love and advocate for your characters, and your job is to go, Why? What’s that? You don’t play the opinions, the previous attitudes that people might have about Tom Ripley. You have to throw all those out, try not to listen to them, and go, Okay, well, I have to have the courage to create our own version and my own understanding of the character,” explained Scott.
Netflix Acquires Showtime’s Ripley
With its merger with sister streaming service, Paramount+, Showtime started a facelift operation, rebranding towards television franchises and parting ways with some of its original programs. Following the merger, another Showtime original was seen on another platform. Earlier reports indicate that Showtime’s upcoming crime drama Ripley will be coming to Netflix.
Beyond Ripley, Netflix’s ambitious plan includes multiple spinoffs for Billions and a prequel and spinoff series set in the Dexter universe. Initially commissioned by Showtime back in 2019, Ripley will air on Netflix, beginning in either late 2023 or early 2024.
The eight-part series, based on Patricia Highsmith’s highly successful novel saga about career criminal and swindler Tom Ripley, sees Andrew Scott playing the elusive felon, alongside Dakota Fanning and Johnny Flynn. While there have been many film adaptations of the bestselling novel series, the television version is set to primarily follow the events of the first novel, The Talented Mr. Ripley.
Netflix is set to premiere Ripley in 2024. Until then, explore more binge-worthy series and movies on HITPLAY.
Steven Zaillian, Oscar-Winner, Heads Ripley
The series, penned by Oscar-winner Steven Zaillian, follows the clever Tom Ripley on his journey through opulence and deceit in New York to Italy. When a wealthy businessman hires him to bring his wayward son back from Italy, Ripley accepts. His new profession plunges him into a world of deceit and murder.
“Tom Ripley (Scott), a grifter scraping by in early 1960s New York, is hired by a wealthy businessman to travel to Italy to try to convince his vagabond son Dickie Greenleaf (Flynn) to return home. Tom’s acceptance of the job is the first step into a complex life of deceit, fraud, and murder. Fanning portrays Marge Sherwood in the series, an American woman based in Italy who perceives Tom’s true motives are more insidious than he lets on.”
Besides being the writer and director, Zaillian also serves as executive producer on the project, alongside Basch, Guymon Casady, Ben Forkner, Sharon Levy, and Philipp Keel of Diogenes. The thrilling crime drama is co-produced by Showtime, Endemol Shine North America, Entertainment 360, and Filmrights.
Known for his smooth, interesting, and seemingly innocent demeanor, Tom Ripley is a character that continues to fascinate audiences around the globe. The story of Tom, which has seen various adaptations across radio, literature, and theatre, offers a unique perspective on human complexity and deceit and will certainly resonate with new audiences on Netflix. Based on the success of Ripley, there might be a chance for other books in the series to be adapted in the future.
For curated collections of top movies and TV shows, don’t forget to check out HITPLAY.
