On April 14, Deadline broke the news that, after a bidding war, Netflix had secured a new thriller series adaptation based on the book Dead Letters by Caite Dolan-Leach. Lucy Hale (Pretty Little Liars) is set to star and executive produce the drama with Alex Cooper's (Call Her Daddy ) Unwell Productions and Aaron Laplan's Kaptial Entertainment.
The project took off because Lucy Hale loved reading the book. After talking to her manager, Leeds, they looped in Kaplan to collaborate on the thriller series. It's no surprise that Hale is set to play identical twins, Ava and Zelda. Her love for the story could prove crucial to the success of this upcoming Netflix show. Book adaptations can be tricky, but having a fan of the book star in and produce it sounds like a win.
Fans have seen Hale pull off a multitude of different characters throughout her career. I haven't read the book, although it is right up my alley, but I can assume that the twin sisters are in their late 20s to 30s, given that Lucy Hale is 35.
After playing Aria Montgomery in Pretty Little Liars, Hale is more than capable of pulling off a convincing mystery that will leave viewers on the edge of their seats. I can only imagine the range of acting she does as she tries to solve the murder of one of the sisters. As a twin, this plotline makes my skin crawl. Essentially, Hale will solve the twisted scavenger hunt by drawing on two different personality types to uncover the truth and prove the bond between the twin sisters.
Deadline shared a summary of Dead Letters:
"An addictive mystery whodunit-meets-psychological thriller centered on a pair of identical twin sisters, Ava and Zelda, played by Hale. When Ava returns home to the family vineyard in the wake of Zelda’s sudden death, she must find out who murdered her beloved twin while reckoning with dangerous revelations about the woman Zelda had become in her absence. To complicate matters, Zelda knew she was in serious danger, so she left behind letters for Ava. Zelda’s cryptic and gut-wrenching “dead letters” send Ava on a twisted scavenger hunt for the truth, forcing Ava to question everyone she’s ever loved."
Random House published Dead Letters in February 2017. The book's Amazon description provides readers with a deeper insight into why Ava is returning home after her sister's sudden death. For some unknown reason, Ava runs away to Paris. Maybe she ran away from the family's failing vineyard? We can't know for sure. We do know that Ava returns to Upstate New York to solve her sister's "cryptic messages from beyond the grave."
Dead Letters marks Hale's "return to series television." As a longtime fan of Hale's, I'm surprised she hasn't been in a television show since starring in Katy Keene (2020) and Ragdoll (2021). Primarily, Hale has been busy starring in films such as Puppy Love (2023) and F*** Marry Kill (2024). She starred in the 2021 book adaptation of The Hating Game, which debuted on Netflix on April 9.
I'm adding Dead Letters to my To-Be-Read and Must Watch lists as I wait for more updates on this in-the-works Netflix thriller series.