Toni Collette has landed her next role, playing a murder victim in an upcoming limited series for HBO Max.
The 48-year-old actress will star alongside Colin Firth in The Staircase for the streaming platform.
She will play the late Kathleen Peterson, who was famously murdered by her husband, Michael Peterson, in 2001.
Latest role: Toni Collette has landed her next role, playing a murder victim in an upcoming limited series for HBO Max. The 48-year-old actress will star alongside Colin Firth in The Staircase for the streaming platform
The eight-episode series has been in development for two years and is based on the 2004 docuseries of the same name, which was updated with new episodes in 2018, reports Variety.
The show initially premiered on Canal+ before it moved to Netflix, where it received widespread attention and garnered critical praise.
It is also inspired by various books and reports about the case of Michael, who will be played by Firth.
The now-77-year-old author claimed that his spouse had died after falling down the stairs at their home in North Carolina, although police suspected that he had killed her and covered up his evidence.
Latest project: Toni will play the late Kathleen Peterson, who was famously murdered by her husband, Michael Peterson, in 2001. The eight-episode series has been in development for two years and is based on the 2004 docuseries of the same name
Murder case: The now-77-year-old author claimed that his spouse had died after falling down the stairs at their home in North Carolina, although police suspected that he had killed her and covered up his evidence; he was eventually convicted of murder (here on trial in 2011)
He was eventually convicted of murder, although his sentence was later reduced to voluntary manslaughter.
The acclaimed Australian performer has been focused on streaming content recently, having appeared in the 2019 Netflix limited series Unbelievable and the 2021 outer space drama Stowaway, which launched on the platform earlier this month.
She will also appear in the upcoming drama Pieces of Her for the streamer.
The longtime theatrical star first made a splash on the small screen with her Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning work on the Showtime series United States of Tara.
Full schedule: The acclaimed Australian performer has been focused on streaming content recently, having appeared in the 2019 Netflix limited series Unbelievable and the 2021 outer space drama Stowaway, which launched on the platform earlier this month
Acclaim: The longtime theatrical star (seen here in 2019) first made a splash on the small screen with her Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning work on the Showtime series United States of Tara
Firth replaced Harrison Ford as the star of the show as the Indiana Jones star was initially supposed to fill the role of Michael, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Other performers who will be involved in The Staircase have not been announced as of yet.
The forthcoming series will be helmed by Antonio Campos, who will direct six episodes of the show, as well as writer Maggie Cohn.
HBO Max’s head of original content, Sarah Aubrey, gave a statement where she expressed her confidence in the series’ development team.
Previous star: Firth replaced Harrison Ford as the star of the show as the Indiana Jones star was initially supposed to fill the role of Michael, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Other performers who will be involved in The Staircase have not been announced as of yet
Adaptation: ‘With the enormously talented Colin Firth at the center of this adaptation, the story of The Staircase will continue to captivate audiences with every bizarre twist and turn,’ said HBO Max’s head of original content Sarah Aubrey; Peterson is seen in 2011
‘It is a thrill to collaborate with Antonio Campos, Maggie Cohn and Annapurna Television for the exploration of this true-life story that’s rife with dramatic revelations,’ she said.
She also lauded the selection of the 60-year-old actor to lead The Staircase and expressed that the show would retain the captivating qualities of the original docuseries.
‘With the enormously talented Colin Firth at the center of this adaptation, the story of The Staircase will continue to captivate audiences with every bizarre twist and turn,’ she added.
Campos commented that, although he had encountered difficulties in getting the forthcoming adaptation off the ground, he was happy to see his efforts come to fruition.
‘This has been a project I have been working on in one way or another since 2008…It’s been a long and winding road, but well worth the wait,’ he said.
The Staircase currently has no set premiere date.
Future release: The Staircase will be released on the HBO Max streaming service at an unspecified date in the future