Netflix invites you to a world of charm, deceit, and danger with Ripley, the latest take on Patricia Highsmith’s mystery classic. Written, directed, and executive produced by Academy Award winner Steve Zaillian, this upcoming hour-long eight-episode limited TV series is based on Patricia Highsmith’s well-known Tom Ripley collection of novels. Set against the enchanting backdrop of 1960s Italy, ‘Ripley‘ will see the talented Andrew Scott star as the titular Tom Ripley, “a grifter scraping by in early ’60s New York.”
The Netflix series is adapting Highsmith’s first book ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley,’ wherein Ripley is paid to go to Italy by Herbert Greenleaf. As per the streamer, “He’s hired by a wealthy industrialist to travel to Italy to try to convince the man’s dilettante son, Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn), to return home. Accepting the job is Tom’s first step into a complex life of deceit, fraud, and murder.”
Joining Andrew Scott, who also serves as a producer, are Johnny Flynn and Dakota Fanning. Flynn plays Dickie Greenleaf, the “vagabond son” who falls prey to Tom’s schemes, while Fanning plays Marge Sherwood, Dickie’s girlfriend who starts to see through Tom’s charm.
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Netflix’s brief new ‘Ripley‘ teaser trailer gives us a sleek and suspenseful glimpse into the shadowy world of the masterful con artist Tom Ripley. The teaser keeps us guessing with (almost) random shots of a typewriter, an old-school phone, a staircase, and a luggage cart. Meanwhile, everyone’s scratching their heads over who the heck ‘Tom Ripley’ really is.
The black-and-white scenes amp up the intrigue, showing Tom messing with a passport, dealing with Italian detectives at his door, and casually standing on a boat. “You’re a very hard man to find. No address. Phone or Office,” Scott’s Tom is told in the teaser.
Throughout the footage, Scott’s Tom is always on the move – be it at train stations, strolling down streets, or cruising the canals of Venice. The trailer also gives us a sneak peek at two other main characters: Johnny Flynn as Dickie Greenleaf, the apple of Ripley’s eye (remember Jude Law in the 1999 adaptation?), and Dakota Fanning as Marge Sherwood, Dickie’s girlfriend (the role Gwyneth Paltrow played in the film).
The limited series is a collaborative production between Showtime and Endemol Shine North America, in association with Entertainment 360 and Filmrights. The executive producers include Steve Zaillian, Garrett Basch, Clayton Townsend, Guymon Casady, Ben Forkner, Sharon Levy, and Philipp Keel of Diogenes. Additionally, Scott is actively involved as a producer on the series. All eight episodes of Ripley hit April 4 on Netflix.
