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The year 1999 saw the release of Anthony Minghella's film adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley. The film had a memorable cast with Matt Damon playing Tom Ripley, Jude Law as Dickie Greenleaf, and Gwyneth Paltrow as Marge Sherwood, respectively. The project was a commercial and critical success, earning over $128 million on a $40 million budget and receiving five Academy Award nominations, including Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Law. Now, nearly 24 years later, another adaptation is set to be released on TV titled Ripley.
Before tuning in for the TV adaptation, make sure to check out the following helpful guide that contains everything we know so far about Ripley.
Editor's Note: This piece was updated on March 6, 2024.
Ripley
CrimeDramaThrillerA grifter named Ripley living in New York during the 1960s is hired by a wealthy man to begin a complex life of deceit, fraud and murder.
Cast Andrew Scott , Johnny Flynn , Dakota Fanning , Maurizio Lombardi , Pasquale Esposito Main Genre Crime Seasons 1Does 'Ripley' Have a Release Date?
All eight episodes of Ripley are set to premiere on Thursday, April 4, 2024. This comes over four years after it was originally announced. It also comes hot off the heels of Saltburn, which was influenced by the 1999 movie and Patricia Highsmith's novel.
Where Can You Watch 'Ripley'?
When the series was first announced, it was initially set to air on Showtime. However, it was revealed in February 2023 that the series will instead premiere on Netflix. This was a result of the series being shopped around due to Showtime being integrated into the Paramount+ platform. Being a limited series, it is most likely that all eight episodes will be released simultaneously on Netflix.
Is There a Trailer for 'Ripley'?
Netflix released the first teaser trailer for Ripley on January 22, 2024, also revealing the release date for the series.
Netflix released the full trailer for Ripley on March 4, 2024, giving an extended look at the series.
What Is 'Ripley' About?
Based on Patricia Highsmith's novel, The Talented Mr. Ripley, the series will follow the titular Tom Ripley and his involvement with Dickie Greenleaf and Marge Sherwood. Tom is a struggling con man living in New York who uses his duplicitous skills of forgery and impersonation to get by. By chance, he encounters Herbert Greenleaf, an acquaintance and rich shipbuilder, who enlists Tom's help to retrieve his son, Dickie, who is living it up in Italy. Tom takes advantage of the opportunity and tracks down Dickie, only to form an obsession with befriending the wealthy boy and becoming part of that luxurious lifestyle. However, Tom's intentions are challenged by Marge, Dickie's close friend who happens to be in love with him.
Given the story's genre as a psychological thriller, audiences will be gripped by the tension and twisted dynamics between Tom, Dickie and Marge. Particularly, the audience will see the lengths that Tom will go to climb the social ladder. With Steven Zaillian at the helm of the series, it looks promising that this adaptation might be darker and grittier than the 1999 film adaptation due to Zaillian's established serious tone like in his previous limited series The Night Of. The official synopsis from Netflix reads as follows:
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.
Who Is Starring in 'Ripley'?
CloseAndrew Scott will play the titular protagonist, Tom Ripley, an ambitious but cunning man who takes on the opportunity to fly to Europe and improve his life. Scott is a BAFTA-winning Irish actor best known for his TV roles in Sherlock and Fleabag. Over the past decade, he has starred in major films like Pride, Spectre, and 1917. He also appeared in other TV series like Black Mirror, His Dark Materials, and Modern Love. He most recently starred in the romantic drama film All of Us Strangers, where he earned some of the highest praise of his career.
Johnny Flynn will portray Richard "Dickie" Greenleaf, the wealthy and spoiled son of Herbert that escaped to Italy and becomes the target of Tom's focus. Flynn is a British actor who worked on various TV series like Lovesick, Genius, and Vanity Fair. He also appeared in films like Cordelia, Operation Mincemeat, and the 2020 adaptation of Emma. He most recently starred in the historical film One Life alongside Anthony Hopkins.
Finally, the role of Marjorie "Marge" Sherwood, the closest friend and romantic interest of Dickie, will be played by Dakota Fanning. The American actress made a name for herself as a popular child actress in films like Man on Fire, I Am Sam, and Uptown Girls. Fanning later starred in films such as The Twilight Saga, The Runaways, and Brimstone. She even worked on TV series like The Alienist and The First Lady. Her most recent project was reuniting with Denzel Washington in The Equalizer 3.
Eliot Sumner also joins the cast in a recurring role as a friend of Dickie who grows suspicious of Tom. Sumner is an English musician and relatively new actor who has appeared in films like The Gentlemen, A Mouthful of Air, and No Time to Die. He is the son of The Police frontman Sting.
John Malkovich is also set to appear in the series in an undisclosed role.
Who Are the Creators of ‘Ripley’?
Steven Zaillian leads the limited series as a writer, director, and executive producer. This marks his second TV miniseries after the Emmy-nominated show The Night Of. His other impressive writing credits include drama films like The Irishman, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Schindler's List. Joining him as executive producers are Garrett Basch (What We Do In the Shadows), Guymon Casady (Game of Thrones), Sharon Levy (The Biggest Loser), Ben Forkner (The Flagmakers), and Philipp Keel (Deep Water).
Andrew Scott will also be a producer on the series. Robert Elswit is the cinematographer for the show.
When and Where Did 'Ripley' Film?
The series stayed faithful to the story's location by filming in Italy, specifically in Rome and Venice. Filming was originally planned for September 2020 after the show's first announcement but was ultimately pushed to 2021 following the casting of Dakota Fanning. Filming allegedly started in August 2021 based on a Twitter post showing Andrew Scott on set in Italy.
Production in Italy wrapped by April 30, 2022, based on an Instagram story from the assistant director Emiliano Guido.
Filming was then moved to New York City where Scott was spotted in a Twitter video filming the New York-based scenes during May 2022.
Will There Be Another Season of 'Ripley'?
Despite the show being described as a miniseries, it was reported that showrunner Steven Zaillian originally pitched the show with the possibility of exploring Patricia Highsmith's other novels in the "Ripilad" series. These four subsequent novels involve the character of Tom Ripley which Zaillian had the original intent to adapt one book per season. It remains to be seen if these plans will officially follow through after the first season is released. Until then, make sure to watch Ripley when it drops on Netflix.
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