All of Us Strangers star Andrew Scott has lined up his next big role – and it’s an iconic gay character!
Vanity Fair has the first look at the upcoming series Ripley, starring Andrew Scott as Patricia Highsmith’s legendary gay grifter and murderer Tom Ripley.
Highsmith, also known for writing novels like The Price of Salt (adapted into Todd Hayne’s acclaimed 2015 film Carol) and Strangers on a Train, wrote five books about the charming, but cold-blooded Ripley, beginning with The Talented Mr. Ripley in 1955.
Several of the books have been adapted into movies, including the 1999 film adaptation of the first book starring Matt Damon, Jude Law, and Gwyneth Paltrow. This year’s Oscar contender Saltburn is also influenced by the Ripley character and his conning his way into the lives of the wealthy elite.
The show will follow Ripley (Scott), a 1960s con man who is employed by a wealthy man to convince his son Dickie (Johnny Flynn) to return home from his time abroad in Italy. However, Ripley gets caught up in Dickie’s world and soon becomes obsessed with staying in it. It also stars Dakota Fanning as Dickie’s girlfriend Marge.
Your first look at Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley in the new series Ripley, based on Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley.
— Netflix (@netflix) December 12, 2023
The eight-episode limited series created by Steven Zaillian (The Night Of, The Irishman) will premiere in 2024. pic.twitter.com/RW2q0iUZdM
“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,” Scott told VF. “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.'”
Steven Zaillian’s ‘RIPLEY’ starring Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley.
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) December 12, 2023
The eight-part series premieres on Netflix in 2024.
(Source: @VanityFair | https://t.co/SpmxQNFD2Y) pic.twitter.com/lZ3psUdPvf
The new adaptation of Highsmith’s novels comes from Oscar-winner Steven Zaillian (Schindler’s List, The Irishman) and will premiere on Netflix in 2024. The series will last for eight episodes.
“Tom Ripley is a part of our consciousness,” Zaillian said. “Almost 70 years after Highsmith created him, contemporary figures are still being compared to him. He won’t go away.”