More casting announced for ‘Staircase’ miniseries on HBO. Here’s what we know so far.
When Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth plays Durham novelist Michael Peterson in the upcoming HBO miniseries “The Staircase,” he’ll share the screen with some other big Hollywood names.
Firth, who won an Oscar for his role in “The King’s Speech,” will be joined by a fellow Oscar winner and an Oscar nominee, as well as a number of respected actors. (Firth’s role was originally slated to be played by Harrison Ford.)
The dramatic adaptation will be based primarily on the Netflix documentary series “The Staircase,” but will draw on other books and reports, and will release on HBO’s streaming service HBO Max. No release date has been given.
“The Staircase” tells the story of Michael Peterson’s murder trial in the death of his wife, Kathleen, who was found in a pool of blood at the bottom of the back staircase in the couple’s Durham home in December 2001.
Peterson was found guilty in 2003 but was granted a new trial after SBI misconduct was revealed. He took an Alford plea in 2017 and was released. He has been living in Durham since then, and in 2019 independently published two books, “Behind the Staircase,” and “Beyond the Staircase,” which chronicle his life since Kathleen’s death, including his time in prison.
Here’s what we know about the rest of the cast (much more to come, so check back here for updates):
▪ Kathleen Peterson will be played by Toni Collette. The Australian actress might be best known for her role in the creepy ghost story “The Sixth Sense,” which gained her an Academy Award nomination. More recently, Collette starred in the supernatural horror film “Hereditary,” and in the stellar Netflix series “Unbelievable.” The casting of Collette as Peterson indicates that the dramatic adaptation will deviate from the Netflix documentary series and include flashbacks — perhaps drawn in part from recent memoirs written by Michael Peterson.
▪ Sophie Brunet (editor of “The Staircase” documentary) will be played by Juliette Binoche. The French actress won an Academy Award for her role in the 1996 drama “The English Patient” and was nominated for an Academy Award for her part in the 2000 romantic comedy “Chocolat.” As with Kathleen Peterson, film editor Brunet doesn’t appear in the Netflix documentary, because she didn’t attend Peterson’s trial in Durham. The two met in 2006 after Peterson was in prison, and they started a romantic relationship that lasted several years.
▪ Freda Black will be played by Parker Posey. Black, who died in 2018, was one of the prosecutors in Peterson’s case, known for her cross-examination of male escort Brent Wolgamott. (Who can forget her use of the phrase “Pure T filth”?) Posey is well known for her work in Christopher Guest mockumentaries, like “Waiting for Guffman,” “Best in Show” and “A Mighty Wind,” among others.
▪ Candace Hunt Zamperini will be played by Rosemarie DeWitt. Zamperini is the sister of Kathleen Peterson and a very outspoken critic of Michael Peterson. DeWitt is best known for her role in “Rachel Getting Married.”
This story was originally published May 27, 2021 at 11:52 AM.
