Netflix’s Ripley Teaser Trailer Puts New Spin on ’90s Thriller

The limited series starring Andrew Scott is based on Patricia Highsmith’s novels, one of which was adapted into the 1999 film The Talented Mr. Ripley.

Andrew Scott leads as Patricia Highsmith’s title character in the latest adaptation of her bestselling Tim Ripley novels, most famously seen on screen in 1999’s The Talented Mr. Ripley starring Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law.

Dakota Fanning also stars as Marge Sherwood — the role Paltrow played in the 1999 film —  along with Law-standing Johnny Flynn as Dickie Greenleaf. Additional cast includes Elliot Sumner, Maurizio Lombardi, Margherita Buy with John Malkovich.

The drama series is based on Highsmith’s bestselling novels revolving around Tom Ripley, a grifter scraping by in early 1960s New York. Ripley is hired by a wealthy man to travel to Italy to try to convince his vagabond son to return home. Tom’s acceptance of the job is the first step into a complex life of deceit, fraud and murder.

Steve Zaillian (The Irishman, The Night Of) directs and executive produces all eight episodes. Garrett Basch, Clayton Townsend, Guymon Casady, Ben Forkner, Sharon Levy and Philipp Keel of Diogenes also executive produce. Scott serves as a producer on the series.

Zaillian spoke to Vanity Fair about his approach to the beloved story, saying the opportunity to tell the story over multiple episodes allowed him to be “more faithful to the story, tone, and subtleties of Highsmith’s work.”

“[I] tried to approach my adaptation in a way I imagined she might herself,” Zaillian told the outlet, adding that he even shot the series in “gorgeous” black and white to correspond with “the edition of the Ripley book” he had on his desk.

The new limited series will drop only on Netflix on April 4th.