Dakota Fanning (The Alienist) has been cast in Showtime’s upcoming Ripley, a series adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novels of con artist and serial killer Tom Ripley. She will star alongside Andrew Scott (Sherlock), who plays the title role.
Ripley follows “Tom Ripley, a grifter scraping by in early 1960s New York. When Tom is hired by a wealthy businessman to travel to Italy and to try to convince the man’s vagabond son to return home, his acceptance of the job is the first step into a complex life of deceit.”
Fanning will portray Marge Sherwood, an American living in Italy who suspects that Tom’s affability hides darker motives. Also joining the series is Johnny Flynn (Emma) as Dickie Greenleaf, the son Ripley is meant to bring back home.
“Dakota Fanning is the perfect choice to play the deliciously complicated Marge opposite Andrew Scott’s Tom Ripley,” said Amy Israel, Showtime’s executive vice president of scripted programming. “She’s an actor that brings smarts and vulnerability to every part, with so much bubbling beneath the surface. We can’t wait to see her sink her teeth into this role in Steve Zaillian’s Ripley.”
Ripley‘s first season will run for eight episodes. Steve Zaillian is writing and directing the series, drawing upon all five of Highsmith’s novels – The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ripley Under Ground, Ripley’s Game, The Boy Who Followed Ripley and Ripley Under Water – to explore the character’s progression from con artist to serial killer.
Highsmith’s novels have been adapted for the big screen on numerous occasions, with actors such as Matt Damon, John Malkovich, Dennis Hopper and Barry Pepper all taking on the role of Tom Ripley in various projects.
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