If, like us, you’re still reeling from The Perfect Couple, fear not – we don’t have to wait long until Nicole Kidman is back on our screens.
Prime Video has announced it has ordered two seasons of Scarpetta, starring and executively produced by Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis. The series is based on the best-selling Kay Scarpetta books by Patricia Cornwell, and Liz Sarnoff will serve as writer, executive producer, and showrunner.
‘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.’
But what is the plot of Scarpetta, who’s in the cast and when will it debut? Here's everything we know about the highly-anticipated series so far…
Who stars in Scarpetta?
Fans will be pleased to hear that Scarpetta has a star-studded cast. Nicole Kidman stars as main character Kay Scarpetta, while Jamie Lee Curtis, who recently won an Emmy for her role in The Bear, plays her sister, Dorothy.
They are joined by Bobby Cannavale, who plays former detective Pete Marino, Simon Baker as FBI profiler Benton Wesley, and Ariana DeBose as Lucy Farinelli-Watson, Dorothy’s daughter.
The younger version of Kidman’s Kay Scarpetta will be played by Rosy McEwan, and Cannavale’s son Jake Cannavale will be the younger version of his character.
What is Scarpetta about?
The series follows the story of Kay Scarpetta (played by Nicole Kidman) who is a chief medical examiner who is ‘a chief medical examiner who returns to her former position in Virginia and deals with both gruesome cases and complicated relationships in her work and personal lives - including her sister Dorothy (Curtis), with plenty of grudges and secrets to uncover.’
Kidman has been trying to adapt Patricia Cornwell’s Scarpetta novels for almost two decades, and it’s been in development at Amazon for nearly a while year.
‘I’ve been pursuing Scarpetta for nearly 20 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. I cannot wait to inhabit Kay Scarpetta and am so thankful to Patricia Cornwell for entrusting me with her,’ Nicole said.
How many episodes will Scarpetta have?
The number of episodes for Scarpetta has not been confirmed. However, the Kay Scarpetta series has 28 books, so fans could be in for the long haul if they follow the exact plot.
When will Scarpetta be released?
A debut date for the series has not been confirmed, but we (hopefully) won’t have to wait too long. The series is expected to be released in 2025.