Talented Mr. Ripley Show Will Cover One Book Per Season

Showtime’s entertainment president, Gary Levine, explains that writer/director Steven Zaillian intends to make Ripley into multiple seasons.

Steven Zaillian’s upcoming television series adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley will be covering one book per season. The popular 1955 novel by Patricia Highsmith introduced the Ripliad series, containing a total of four sequels, and has been adapted for film a number of times, including the 1999 feature starring Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow. The plot revolves around the character Tom Ripley who, seeking to leave his past behind, moves to Manhattan and becomes fascinated with the lifestyle of the wealthy. After traveling to Italy to convince a rich man’s son, Dickie Greenleaf, to return home, Ripley’s growing obsession with the man leads him to commit murder and steal his identity. It was announced back in 2019 that the Ripley series was in the works at Showtime and that Zaillian, whose previous credits include The Night Of and Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, would write and direct.

Now, entertainment president at Showtime, Gary Levine, has revealed in an interview with THR that the plan for the series involves multiple seasons. When asked if it is envisioned as one book per season or if it will follow a show like Dexter in taking the source material and changing it as the series progresses, Levine alludes to the former. He explains that this has been Zaillian’s strategy for Ripley from the beginning, saying: “Ripley came to us with Steve Zaillian having optioned all five books. His original intent has been one book per season.“

Related: Deadpool 2: Why Matt Damon Was Credited As “Dickie Greenleaf”

It was confirmed soon after the series’ announcement that Fleabag‘s Andrew Scott will star as Tom Ripley, and as of now, Johnny Flynn and Dakota Fanning have both been attached to the show as well. Scott, who has starred in projects like 1917 and His Dark Materials, has shown his range as an actor, and it will be interesting to see who else joins the cast list as the series progresses. The 8-episode first season of Ripley has yet to be given an official release date, but with the Ripliad series exploring the character’s dissent into paranoia and evolution as a serial killer, fans of the novels look forward to the on-screen continuation of his story.

More: The Talented Mr. Ripley Movie Series, Ranked Worst To Best

Source: THR

Everything Revealed During Nintendo Direct (February 2022)