Colin Firth returning to television for exciting new HBO Max project
By Mads Lennon
Mr. Darcy is returning to our television screens very soon to star as American novelist Michael Peterson in the HBO Max and Annapurna Television series The Staircase. Academy and BAFTA Award-winner Colin Firth will lead the eight-episode limited series based on the captivating true crime story.
The Staircase will explore Peterson’s life in North Carolina and the suspicious death of his wife, Kathleen Peterson.
If you haven’t heard of the infamous case, there are multiple documentaries, books and reports available on the case, including one that’s currently streaming on Netflix. I highly recommend checking it out before the new HBO Max adaption.
Per the official press release from WarnerMedia, Anthony Campos (The Sinner) will direct six of the eight episodes. It’s not yet clear who will direct the other two episodes.
In a statement, Campos said, “This has been a project I have been working on in one way or another since 2008. It’s been a long and winding road, but well worth the wait to be able to find partners like HBO Max, Annapurna, co-showrunner Maggie Cohn and the incredible Colin Firth to dramatize such a complex true-life story.”
One of the main reasons the death of Kathleen Peterson drummed up so much attention was due to the many strange inconsistencies in the case and even the infamous “owl theory.” According to this theory, Kathleen might have been attacked by an owl which resulted in her falling when she went inside and knocked her unconscious when she hit her head on the stairs.
When will we get to see Colin Firth appear in The Staircase?
The press release doesn’t include any exact information on when the series will go into production. I imagine we won’t see the series premiere on HBO Max until next year at the earliest.
Apart from the series, he has one completed film waiting to release, Operation Mincemeat, one in post-production Mothering Sunday and one in pre-production called Curtain Call. Assuming that’s accurate, the biggest hold-up for Firth’s involvement would be Curtain Call, which he will star in alongside Gemma Arterton and Simon Russell Beale.
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What do you think about Colin Firth’s casting in The Staircase? Are you looking forward to watching the HBO Max series? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.