HBO and Sky have ordered a four-part limited series drama called “Landscapers,” with “The Favourite” actress Olivia Colman set to star and executive produce.
Ed Sinclair will write the script, while Alexander Payne is set to direct and also executive produce. No release date has been set yet.
“‘Landscapers’ is a fascinating ‘truth is stranger than fiction’ tale. We’re thrilled to have Olivia, Ed and Alexander on board, and to be back in business with Sister and Sky,” HBO president of programming Casey Bloys said in a statement on Friday.
Sister will produce in association with South of the River Pictures for HBO and Sky. Jane Featherstone and Chris Fry executive produce for Sister, while Colman and Sinclair EP for South of the River Pictures. Katie Carpenter produces.
Here is the official description, per HBO:
“Inspired by real events, the drama explores the lives of convicted killers Susan (Colman) and Christopher Edwards (casting tbc) and asks how this devoted and mild-mannered couple came to kill Susan’s parents and bury them in the back garden of their Mansfield home, in a crime that remained undiscovered for over a decade. This blackly comic, narratively playful true crime drama is based on extensive research, hours of interviews and direct access to the accused, who have always protested their innocence of murder.
Pivoting through various perspectives from Susan and Chris, to the police officers and lawyers involved in the investigation, the drama also draws the audience into the surreal fantasy world that Susan and Christopher created by casting themselves as their Hollywood heroes in stories of their own invention. This is the story of a unique murder case involving four lives lived on the margins of society, that turns into an exhilarating and darkly funny exploration of love and fantasy: its power and its peril.”
Colman won last year’s Oscar for best actress for her role as Queen Anne in Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Favourite.” She is also known for television roles in series like Netflix’s “The Crown,” Amazon’s “Fleabag,” and ITV’s “Broadchurch.”