'Ripley' Will Fool Netflix Viewers Come April

Patricia Highsmith published The Talented Mr. Ripley in 1955, almost 75 years ago, and ever since, the handsome grifter and his mark Dickie Greenleaf, and the woman trying to stop him, Marge Sherwood, has captured the imaginations of generations. The most famous adaptation, the 1999 film starring Matt Damon as the titular Ripley, with Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law as Marge and Dickie, is considered a timeless classic. Now Netflix has set a date for what it hopes will be the 21st-century update on the story, the eight-episode series Ripley.

Andrew Scott (Sherlock) stars as the grifter Tom Ripley, whose con begins when he becomes obsessed with Dickie Greenleaf, the heir to a wealthy Manhattan dynasty, who spends his days acting like a vagabond bohemian. Played by Johnny Flynn (One Life), his carefree demeanor belies an ability to hide what he really thinks of people behind a veneer of constant, easy politeness. Dakota Fanning (The Alienist) plays Marge Sherwood, Dickie's girlfriend, who recognizes Ripley as a threat, even if she's not entirely sure why.

Writer-director Steven Zaillian, who conceived of the series and originally sold it to Showtime and Paramount+ before it moved to Netflix as that service began to collapse, conceived of the story as a mid-century noir thriller. The series is filmed in black and white, a complete 180 from the 1999 film, a sun-drenched escapist dream of Europe as a rich person's playground. That being said, the series is a globe trotter, with scenes films in New York City, the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Rome, and Venice. Check out the trailer.

Here's the series synopsis:

Tom Ripley, a grifter scraping by in early 1960s New York, is hired by a wealthy man to travel to Italy to try to convince his vagabond son to return home. Tom's acceptance of the job is the first step into a complex life of deceit, fraud and murder. The limited series drama is based on Patricia Highsmith’s bestselling Tom Ripley novels.

Scott, Fanning, and Flynn are joined by John Malkovich (The New Look), Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea), Ann Cusack (The Boys), Maurizio Lombardi (Robbing Mussolini), Margherita Buy (In Treatment), and newcomer Eliot Sumner.

All eight episodes were directed and written by Steven Zaillian. Executive producers are Zaillian, Scott, Garrett Basch, Clayton Townsend, Guymon Casady, Ben Forkner, Sharon Levy, and Philipp Keel of Diogenes. Ripley is co-produced by Showtime and Endemol Shine North America in association with Entertainment 360 and Filmrights. 

All eight episodes of Ripley will debut on Netflix on Thursday, April 4, 2024.