‘Fleabag’s Andrew Scott To Play ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ In Showtime Series From ‘The Irishman’ Writer
Andrew Scott, hot off his turn as the “hot priest” in the Emmy-winning second season of Amazon’sFleabag, has just scored another major television gig. He’ll play Tom Ripley inRipley, a new eight-episode Showtime series based onPatricia Highsmith’s novels – the same books that inspired Anthony Minghella’s 1999 movieThe Talented Mr. Ripley. Learn more about the new show below.
All eight episodes ofRipleywill be written and directed by Oscar winnerSteven Zallian, the writer behind films likeSchindler’s List,Gangs of New York,Moneyball, andThe Irishman. And this won’t be his first time working in television: In 2016, he created and directedThe Night Of, an HBO prison drama starring Riz Ahmed. This new adaptation of Highsmith’s books has been in the works forat least four years, withGuymon Casady(Game of Thrones) andBen Forkner(Good People) on board as executive producers after trying to get it off the ground since 2015.
Scott rightfully earned tons of praise (and swoons across the world) for his work inFleabag, but you may also recognize him from his turn as Moriarty on the BBC’sSherlockand his appearance in the most recent James Bond movie,Spectre. He’s the latest actor to step into the shoes of Tom Ripley, “a grifter scraping by in early 1960s New York, [who] 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.”
“We are so thrilled to have the supremely talented filmmaker, Steve Zaillian, adapt the singular saga of Tom Ripley from Patricia Highsmith’s novels as an ongoing series for Showtime,” said Gary Levine, one of Showtime’s presidents of entertainment. “With Andrew Scott, whose charisma knows no bounds, inhabiting the iconic lead role, we feel confident that this will be a special one.”
Scott will soon be seen in the upcoming HBO adaptation of the fantasy novelHis Dark Materials, and he also has roles in the Amazon anthology seriesModern Loveand director Sam Mendes’ World War I movie1917.
