Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis have signed on to star in a TV series based on Patricia Cornwell‘s bestselling Kay Scarpetta books. The show is in development at Amazon from writer-showrunner Liz Sarnoff (Barry) and Blumhouse Television, with a two-season straight-to-series order likely.
Kidman will play the title role, a brilliant forensic pathologist inspired by former Virginia Chief Medical Examiner Marcella Farinelli Fierro, who uses forensic technology to solve crimes. Curtis will play Kay’s flighty sister, Dorothy, the mother of Lucy Farinelli, a recurring character in the book series.
The show reportedly came out of Curtis’ first-look deal with Blumhouse and her relationship with Cornwell. A big fan of the hugely successful author, who has sold over 100 million books, the Halloween star has regularly moderated conversations with Cornwell, who is famously protective of her creations.
Back in 2021, Curtis’ Comet Pictures and Blumhouse Televison secured the rights to the Kay Scarpetta series – which features 26 books, starting with Postmortem in 1990 and the most recent entry, Livid, published last year. At the time, Curtis was revealed only as an executive producer. Now the show is truly moving ahead with her and Kidman front and center.
Curtis said in a statement: “Patricia Cornwell is a bonafide literary trailblazer, and collaborating with her to bring her beloved character Kay Scarpetta to life through the power of television and to introduce her to an entirely new audience is exciting.
The confluence of Blumhouse and Comet bringing to life a dark, fun and layered work world and family life, spearheaded by the smart and sexy indomitable Kay Scarpetta is going to be a thrilling ride.”
Fans will also be happy that Sarnoff is onboard as writer and showrunner, as she fits the tone producers have been looking for, having consistently switched between drama and comedy throughout her career, earning Emmy nominations for her work on dramas Lost and Deadwood, as well as dark comedy Barry.
This isn’t the first time Hollywood has tried to get the Kay Scarpetta character to the screen. There have been multiple attempts to make a Kay Scarpetta movie that didn’t come to fruition, including one at Columbia Pictures three decades ago with Demi Moore attached to star, and another at Fox 2000 ten years ago with Angelina Jolie in the title role.
Hopefully the wait to get Scarpetta to the screen will be worth it. With Kidman and Curtis leading the way, and Sarnoff working her magic behind the camera, there’s every chance this turns into the adaptation fans have been waiting for.
#Peace.Love.KayScarpetta
