Andrew Scott Makes A Very Hot 'Ripley'

It's been a few years since anyone heard anything about Steven Zaillian's planned TV adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's 1955 crime novel The Talented Mr. Ripley. Originally sold to Showtime pre-pandemic, during the height of the streaming scramble in September 2019, the series was commissioned with eight episodes and Andrew Scott (Sherlock) attached to star as the titular Tom Ripley. Though technically billed as a limited series covering the entire novel, it was made clear by those in charge that this was merely a temporary position and that if the show took off, further seasons would be forthcoming.

Four years on, the world is a very different place. Showtime isn't even technically called Showtime anymore but "Paramount+ with Showtime." (Don't worry, no one actually calls it that.) After filming delays pushed the series back to 2021 and then 2022, Paramount decided to sell the finished product off, with Netflix scooping it up in February 2023. Netflix then stuck it on the shelf for a bit to let the Paramount of it all fade off the project and out of recent memory before trotting it out in December as part of the upcoming 2024 slate with first-look photos of Scott looking super hot as Tom Ripley.

Considering the last time The Talented Mr. Ripley hit screens was 1999, it seems like Scott is about to refashion the story for a new generation.

Here is the limited series synopsis:

The drama is based on Patricia Highsmith’s bestselling Tom Ripley novels. In the series, 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 Dickie Greenleaf to return home. Tom's acceptance of the job is the first step into a complex life of deceit, fraud, and murder, as he meets Marge Sherwood, an American living in Italy who suspects darker motives underlie Tom’s affability.

Scott stars as the iconic Tom Ripley, with Johnny Flynn (The Lovers) as Dickie Greenleaf and Dakota Fanning (The Alienist) as Marge Sherwood. The cast also includes Eliot Sumner (No Time To Die), the actor-musician son of Sting, who is following in his father's footsteps. No other cast has been officially confirmed. 

All eight episodes were directed and written by Steven Zaillian (The Night Of), who also executive produces, as does Scott. Garrett Basch, Guymon Casady, Ben Forkner, Sharon Levy, and Philipp Keel of Diogenes also executive produce. Ripley is co-produced by Showtime and Endemol Shine North America in association with Entertainment 360 and Filmrights.

Ripley does not yet have an official release date but is expected to arrive in 2024.