25 years after The Talented Mr. Ripley turned Tom Ripley into a household name, Netflix is getting ready to bring the character back, just the latest in a long slate of revivals. Ripley, a new miniseries from the streaming juggernaut, will debut soon. The series, which will star Andrew Scott in the titular role and be filmed entirely in black and white, has been eagerly anticipated by TV lovers everywhere. And, hot on the heels of Saltburn, it will be an important reminder of where so much of that movie’s plotting and style come from. Here’s everything we know about the upcoming miniseries (which could eventually run for more seasons):
What is Ripley about?
Ripley is adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s novels about her most famous character. The first, The Talented Mr. Ripley, begins when a wealthy industrialist hires Tom Ripley to help bring his son Dickie home from Italy. As Tom becomes more and more involved with Dickie’s life, though, he becomes obsessed with him, and it isn’t long before things take a dark and sinister turn.
Ripley was followed in subsequent novels as well as he continued to manipulate and murder his way through the halls of power. It seems, though, that this entire eight-episode miniseries will focus on the events of The Talented Mr. Ripley. For those familiar with the movie, which adapted the same novel, this version of the story will likely give the story much more room to breathe. Ripley will ingratiate himself into Dickie’s world much more slowly than he does in the movie. Here’s what the official synopsis for the series explains:
“Tom Ripley, 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 to return home. Tom’s acceptance of the job is the first step into a complex life of deceit, fraud, and murder. The limited series drama is based on Patricia Highsmith’s bestselling Tom Ripley novels.”
Who is in the cast of Ripley?
Andrew Scott will be starring in the series as Tom Ripley, and the cast also includes Dakota Fanning as Marge Sherwood and Johnny Flynn as Dickie Greenleaf. Those roles were played by Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law in the 1999 movie, whereas Ripley was played by Matt Damon.
In taking on the iconic character, Scott said that he tried to abandon all the expectations that come with the character.”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,” he explained. “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.”
Who are the creators of Ripley?
Steve Zaillian, the TV creator best known for his work on the 2016 HBO miniseries The Night Of with John Turturro and Riz Ahmed, wrote, directed, and produced all of Ripley. Zaillian also has writing credits on movies like The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Moneyball, and The Irishman.
“Tom Ripley is a part of our consciousness,” Zallian told Vanity Fair. “Almost 70 years after Highsmith created him, contemporary figures are still being compared to him. He won’t go away.”
Is there a trailer for Ripley?
The trailer for Ripley was released in late February and showcases the black and white cinematography that will distinguish this miniseries from the 1999 film and other adaptations. The trailer emphasizes the most familiar pieces of the Ripley story, but it’s unclear how far we’ll follow the character into subsequent Highsmith novels.
How many episodes is Ripley?
Ripley, which was originally commissioned by Showtime, will be eight episodes in total.
Will there be a second season of Ripley?
Because it has been billed as a miniseries, it seems clear that Ripley is not intended to be a multi-season series. It’s been reported, though, that Zaillian originally pitched the show as multi-season and envisioned adapting each of Highsmith’s five novels about Ripley into its own season. For now, though, it seems like the show will be just a single season, although it seems clear that Zaillian and Scott could reunite for another season if they so desired.
When does Ripley premiere?
Ripley is set to premiere on Netflix on April 4, 2024, and all eight episodes will be available on Netflix at that time. No subsequent seasons have been officially announced.
