Sophie Turner has signed on to star in the HBO Max drama, The Staircase. The limited series is based on the 2004 French true-crime documentary of the same title. It explores the case of Michael Peterson, who was convicted of killing his wife in 2001. Peterson told the authorities that his wife fell down the stairs, but police suspected foul play and a grueling legal drama ensued.
As reported by Variety, Turner is the latest big name to the cast of HBO Max's retelling of The Staircase. The 25-year-old actress will play Margaret Ratliff, one of Peterson's adopted daughters. Despite the twisted coincidence that her own mother was also found dead at the bottom of a staircase, Margaret is convinced of Peterson's innocence. The Staircase will be Turner's return to HBO after the highly successful run of Game of Thrones from 2011 to 2019.
The Peterson case was largely followed by true-crime fans around the world and has spawned several books as well. In 2018, Netflix added three whole episodes to the original The Staircase documentary and streamed all 13 parts. HBO Max's take will be a scripted narrative based on the crime. The eight-part miniseries will be written by American Crime Story writer, Maggie Cohn and directed by Antonio Campos (Christine). Other cast include Colin Firth in the lead role as Peterson, Toni Collete, Juliette Binoche, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Parker Posey.
With a star-studded cast and an intriguing true story to draw from, it will be interesting to see what HBO Max will bring. If the success of the documentary series is any indication, the streaming service likely has a big hit on its hands. HBO Max has yet to announce a premiere date, but the series is sure to attract a solid number of viewers when it does release.
Source: Variety