The popular documentary series “The Staircase” is now an HBO Max limited series, with Colin Firth filling the role of convicted murderer Michael Peterson.
HBO Max released the first trailer for the new series on Tuesday, which finds Firth playing a man who was accused of murdering his wife (played by Toni Collette). The case was well covered in the early 2000s, but gained more prominence with the arrival of a documentary series that premiered in 2004 and documented Peterson’s trial. New episodes with further updates were later made for Netflix in 2018.
Created by Antonio Campos (“The Devil All the Time”), the HBO Max limited series take on the case offers a dramatization of the events courtesy of a pair of Oscar-caliber performers in Firth and Collette. The show will delve into all aspects of the case including, yes, the owl theory. “We took it as seriously as any other theory,” Campos said in a Television Critics Association call with media in February. “So you’ll get a deep dive.”
Watch the trailer for “The Staircase” in the player below. The first three episodes debut on HBO Max on May 5, followed by one new episode weekly.
In addition to Firth and Collette, the scripted show also stars Michael Stuhlbarg as Michael Peterson’s defense attorney David Rudolph; Patrick Schwarzenegger as Michael’s son Todd Peterson; Dane DeHaan as Michael’s other son Clayton Peterson; Olivia DeJonge as Caitlin Atwater, Kathleen’s biological daughter; Sophie Turner as Margaret Ratliff, one of Michael Peterson’s adopted daughters; and Odessa Young as Martha Ratliff, Michael’s other adopted daughter.
Plus, there’s: Rosemarie DeWitt as Kathleen’s sister Candace Zamperini; Tim Guinee as Michael’s brother Bill Peterson; Vincent Vermignon as Lestrade, the documentarian; and Parker Posey as prosecutor Freda Black. Juliette Binoche also stars in the series, but in an undisclosed role.
HBO Max’s “The Staircase” is written and executive produced by showrunners Campos and Maggie Cohn. Campos also directs six of the eight episodes. The limited series is co-produced by Annapurna Television.
