Amazon Prime Video has officially ordered a series adaptation of Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta novels with Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis set for the lead roles.
It was reported in February 2023 that the series, currently titled “Scarpetta,” was in the works. Now, Amazon has greenlit two seasons of the series and added five additional cast members. As previously reported, Liz Sarnoff will serve as writer, executive producer, and showrunner. The series hails from Blumhouse Television and Amazon MGM Studios.
Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story,” “The Prom”), Bobby Cannavale (“Ezra,” “The Irishman”), Simon Baker (“Breath,” “Boy Swallows Universe”), Rosy McEwen (“Blue Jean”), and Jake Cannavale (“The Offer,” “American Sports Story”) will all star alongside Kidman and Curtis.
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“Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta has enraptured fans for decades and I am honored that Prime Video is entrusted to bring the series to screen for our global customers,” said Vernon Sanders, head of television for Amazon MGM Studios. “The most exemplary group has been assembled for the series with Liz Sarnoff at the helm with an extraordinary vision; the immensely talented Nicole Kidman, Jamie Lee Curtis, and the fantastic cast; and the top-notch team at Blumhouse.”
The official logline for the mystery-thriller series states that it “follows Kay Scarpetta (Kidman), the Chief Medical Examiner, as she returns to Virginia and resumes her former position with complex relationships, both personal and professional – including her sister Dorothy (Curtis), with plenty of grudges and secrets to uncover.”
“I have wanted to bring Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta to a screen, with my company, Comet Pictures, for a while,” Curtis said. “I’m particularly excited that Nicole Kidman will finally bring her to life. I’m also looking forward to playing Nicole’s sister as we tell the story with Liz Sarnoff’s expert care, leadership, skill, and talent, and I am excited to work again with David as our director. I know the ardent fans of the books will be very happy, and the new audience will be compelled by the characters, crimes, and mysteries that are the trifecta of Patricia’s masterful storytelling. Blumhouse, Blossom, and Prime Video are the perfect partners to bring Scarpetta to you, and a warning……..there WILL be BLOOD.”
Bobby Cannavale will play former detective Pete Marino. Baker will play FBI profiler Benton Wesley. McEwen will play Past Kay Scarpetta. DeBose will play Lucy Farinelli-Watson, Dorothy’s daughter. Jake Cannavale will appear as Past Pete Marino.
“I’m beyond excited that this is finally happening,” Cornwell said. “This will be great fun for all, and I’m grateful for the immense talent that the show is drawing. I’ve always been a huge fan of Jamie Lee Curtis and Nicole Kidman. Their wanting to do this is humbling and simply awesome. Working with the brilliant Liz Sarnoff is amazing. Blumhouse and Prime Video are a dream. This has been worth waiting for, and I’m so looking forward to the show.”
Cornwell is repped by CAA. Bobby Cannavale is repped by CAA and Framework Entertainment. Baker is repped by CAA, United Management in Australia, and Hamilton Hodell in the UK. Jake Cannavale is repped by Buchwald, Framework Entertainment, and Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham LLP. DeBose is repped by CAA, AC Management, The Lede Company, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman. McEwen is repped by Curtis Brown Group, CAA, Public Eye Communications, and Goodman Genow.
”I’ve been pursuing ‘Scarpetta’ for nearly twenty years going back to when it was intended to be a feature, so to unite with the formidable Jamie Lee Curtis, Prime Video, Jason Blum, and David Gordon Green on the Liz Sarnoff series version of Patricia Cornwell’s epic and thrilling books feels like it was meant to be,” Kidman said. “I cannot wait to inhabit Kay Scarpetta and am so thankful to Patricia Cornwell for entrusting me with her.”
Kidman will executive produce for Blossom Films, and Curtis will executive produce for Comet Pictures. As mentioned, Sarnoff will write, executive produce, and serve as showrunner. Cornwell will executive produce for P & S Projects alongside Jason Blum, Jeremy Gold, Chris Dickie, and Chris McCumber for Blumhouse Television and Per Saari for Blossom Films. David Gordon Green and Amy Sayres also serve as executive producers, with Green set to direct the first two episodes. The series is produced by Blumhouse Television and Amazon MGM Studios in association with Blossom Films and Comet Pictures.
“I read Patricia Cornwell’s Scarpetta books with my Mother when they came out in the ’90s,” said Sarnoff. “We loved having a badass female ‘boss’ heroine to root for and were amazed by the specificity, complexity, and sheer addictiveness of Patricia’s storytelling. I could not be more grateful and excited to be bringing these stories to life on the screen.”
“Patricia Cornwell’s best-selling Kay Scarpetta series is beloved by millions, and we’re proud to finally bring this iconic character to screens around the world with this dream team,” added Jason Blum. “Liz, Nicole, Jamie Lee, Patricia, and David all share a passion for this show and this character, and we’re grateful to our partners at Prime Video for supporting the vision.”
There are currently 27 novels in the Kay Scarpetta series, beginning with “Postmortem.” That book was originally published in 1990, with the most recent book, “Unnatural Death,” debuting in 2023.
This is also the latest Amazon series based on a series of novels. The streamer also currently airs: “Reacher” starring Alan Ritchson, based on Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books; “Bosch: Legacy,” based on Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch books; “The Wheel of Time,” based on Robert Jordan’s book series of the same name; “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” based in the Jenny Han novel trilogy of the same name; and upcoming shows like “Cross,” based on James Patterson’s Alex Cross books as well as the Renee Ballard series, which is also based on a series of books by Connelly.
