Fleabag's Andrew Scott to Star in Showtime's Tom Ripley Adaptation
Click here to read the full article.
Fleabag‘s “hot priest” is striking while the iron is hot: Andrew Scott has signed on to play the title role in Ripley, Showtime’s upcoming adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley novels.
Scott will play Tom Ripley, a grifter who is barely scraping by in 1960s New York when he’s hired to travel to Italy to retrieve a wealthy man’s son. “Tom’s acceptance of the job is the first step into a complex life of deceit, fraud and murder,” per the official synopsis. Ripley will cover five of Highsmith’s novels — including The Talented Mr. Ripley, which inspired the 1999 Matt Damon film — with Steven Zaillian (The Night Of) serving as writer and director of all eight episodes.
More from TVLine
Viola Davis to Play Michelle Obama in Showtime Drama First Ladies
On Becoming a God in Central Florida Renewed for Season 2 at Showtime
“We are so thrilled to have the supremely talented filmmaker, Steve Zaillian, adapt the singular saga of Tom Ripley from Patricia Highsmith’s novels as an ongoing series for Showtime,” entertainment president Gary Levine said in a statement. “With Andrew Scott, whose charisma knows no bounds, inhabiting the iconic lead role, we feel confident that this will be a special one.”
Earlier this year, Scott co-starred alongside Phoebe Waller-Bridge as the alluring priest in Season 2 of the Amazon comedy Fleabag, which just took home a number of Emmys, including one for Outstanding Comedy Series. Prior to that, he played villain Moriarty opposite Benedict Cumberbatch on PBS’ Sherlock, a role that won him a BAFTA Award in 2012. Scott also starred in the Black Mirror Season 5 episode “Smithereens.”
Sign up for TVLine's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
