The new black and white miniseries “Ripley” will be released on Netflix on April 4th. It is a new adaptation of the world-famous novel “The Talented Mr. Ripley” by Patricia Highsmith (1921-1995). The main role of Tom Ripley is played by Irish actor Andrew Scott (47), known among other things as the “hot priest” from the BBC series “Fleabag”.
In New York in the early 1960s, petty criminal Tom Ripley (Scott) is keeping himself afloat with fraud when he unexpectedly receives an assignment: Ripley is supposed to bring the rich heir Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn, 41) back to the city from his never-ending vacation in Italy Bring USA. All expenses are taken care of on his trip to Europe.
But once she arrives, Ripley takes a liking to the sophisticated Greenleaf’s luxurious lifestyle. Ripley settles in with him and his writer girlfriend Marge Sherwood (Dakota Fanning, 30) – and would like to never leave again. However, when the wealthy Greenleaf gradually seems to lose interest in his guest and Ripley is faced with impending nothingness, disaster ensues.
The new Netflix thriller series “Ripley” features an impressive acting ensemble. In addition to the main actor Scott, Dakota Fanning and Johnny Flynn (“The Outfit”), known from the Netflix series “The Alienist – The Encirclement”, among others, also appear in front of the camera.
Hollywood veteran Steven Zaillian (71) is responsible behind the scenes as showrunner and director of all eight episodes for “Ripley”. The Oscar winner has previously created the recommended HBO miniseries “The Night Of”. Previously, he wrote the scripts for such modern film classics as David Fincher’s (61) “Verblendung”, “American Gangster” with Denzel Washington (69) and “Schindler’s List”.
Highsmith’s novel “The Talented Mr. Ripley” was published in 1955 and has been adapted several times for cinema and TV. The best known is probably Anthony Minghella’s (1954-2008) version from 1999, in which Matt Damon (53), Jude Law (51) and Gwyneth Paltrow (51) play the main roles.
The new Netflix series “Ripley” is designed as a miniseries, but according to “Deadline” it could still be continued if it is successful. There would be enough template material for this, as author Highsmith had her creation Tom Ripley return in a total of four more novels.
The crime series “Ripley” offers viewers an exquisitely acted character drama in which the main actor Scott is particularly enthusiastic. The mime, who was most recently seen in Andrew Haigh’s (51) “All of Us Strangers”, vividly embodies the mysterious main character, who doesn’t really seem to belong anywhere and, as a result of his actions, has to pretend to be in front of everyone around him.
Another secret star in “Ripley” is the southern Italian setting, brilliantly staged by director Zaillian. Anyone who has already traveled to the region around Naples, Positano and the Amalfi Coast will recognize a lot of familiar things in the new Netflix series, with “Ripley” offering not only this authenticity but also plenty of captivating 1960s color.
The miniseries is closely based on the plot of Highsmith’s novel, with series creator Zaillian staging well-known scenes such as Ripley’s first murder with an almost torturous slowness. Sometimes individual sequences last longer than seems necessary, which allows the series to develop an almost hypnotic pull.
