Entertainment
Sophie Turner joins cast of crime series The Staircase after gripping Netflix documentary
Sophie Turner is set to play one of Colin Firth’s daughters in HBO Max’s crime series The Staircase, based on the docuseries of the same name.
In 2003, American novelist Michael Peterson was convicted of murdering his second wife, Kathleen Peterson, two years prior after she was found at the bottom of the stairs in their home.
Eight years later, he was granted a retrial when a judge concluded that one of the witnesses against him had given ‘misleading’ testimony.
In 2017, Peterson entered an Alford plea, which is when a defendant in the US enters a guilty plea while still asserting their innocence. He was sentenced to a maximum of 86 months in jail, with credit for time already served.
Colin Firth will play Michael, Toni Collette will portray Kathleen and Sophie will play Margaret Ratliff, one of Michael’s adopted daughters.
The 25-year-old actress is best recognised for her role in Game of Thrones as Sansa Stark, which led to her casting as Jean Grey in X-Men: Apocalypse and X-Men: Dark Phoenix.
The eight-episode arc will explore Michael’s life, his family in North Carolina and the suspicious death of his spouse.
In 2004, a French docuseries titled The Staircase by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade was released, which followed Peterson’s trial over the death of his wife.
Peterson took part in the documentary, as did members of his family.
The upcoming limited series The Staircase is an adaptation of the docuseries, using books and reports on the case to paint a picture of Peterson’s life.
Sarah Aubrey, head of original content at HBO Max said it’s a ‘thrill’ to work with executive producers Antonio Campos and Maggie Cohn in addition to Annapurna Television on ‘this true-life story that’s rife with dramatic revelations’.
‘With the enormously talented Colin Firth at the center of this adaptation, the story of The Staircase will continue to captivate audiences with every bizarre twist and turn,’ she said.
The Staircase docuseries is available to watch on Netflix.
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