Anya Taylor-Joy to Lead Adaptation of 'How to Kill Your Family'

Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queen's Gambit ) is set to lead Netflix's upcoming eight-part thriller How to Kill Your Family, a buzzy murderous romp with a complicated antiheroine at its center. 

The series is based on Bella Mackie's 2021 Sunday Times bestseller of the same name which has thus far sold over 1.2 million copies. Taylor-Joy will star as Grace Bernard, the illegitimate daughter of a billionaire who claims not to remember the affair that produced her. But in the wake of her mother's death --- a death her absentee father certainly could have eased, if not outright prevented --- she decides to seek revenge on the father who abandoned her.

Determined to claim her rightful inheritance--- and maybe a bit of justice, too --- Grace begins taking out her estranged family members one by one. Her revenge scheme involves some darkly creative twists as she slowly murders her way through her father's relatives, leaving Simon himself for last. 

“She’s the kind of complicated, dark, but utterly hilarious antihero you dream of writing,” series writer Emma Moran told Netflix's Tudum. “Striking that balance between camp fun and brutal violence that Bella hits so perfectly in the book is a challenge I’m so looking forward to. I’ve never had more fun on a project with such a high body count.”

Moran is probably best known as the creator of the offbeat Hulu superhero comedy Extraordinary, which means she's already proven herself skilled at presenting familiar narrative tropes in fresh, exciting and often feminist new ways.

Here's the story's description.

Grace is the forgotten child of Simon Artemis, a merciless billionaire. After a heartbreaking rejection, Grace decides to exact revenge. But will this deadly scheme take even more from Grace than she’s already lost?

How to Kill Your Family is the first collaboration between Netflix and Sid Gentle Films, the producers behind Killing Eve. It's written by Emma Moran, the showrunner behind Hulu's underrated superhero comedy Extraordinary. 

"It’s been thrilling to watch the characters I wrote take on new life under this magnificent creative team," Mackie said in a statement. "Anya is the most perfect fit to play Grace: I often think she understands her better than I do. Pairing up with Sid Gentle has been joyful, and introducing me to Emma has made me supremely confident the book is in safe hands.”

Moran and Mackie are both executive producers on the series, alongside Sally Woodward Gentle, Lizzie Rusbridger, and Lee Morris for Sid Gentle. Taylor-Joy is also an EP for her LadyKiller Productions banner. 

The eight-part drama was announced at this year's Edinburgh TV Festival and more casting details are expected in due course.