Paging Dr. Kay Scarpetta — we’re gonna need you to scrub back in for this one.
Nicole Kidman is up to the task in the trailer (below) for Amazon’s Scarpetta series, which debuts on Prime Video March 11. The adaptation of Patricia Cornwell’s best-selling novels unfolds across two timelines. The first tracks a young Kay Scarpetta (Rosy McEwen) from her beginnings as a chief medical examiner in the late ’90s; the second flashes forward to Kay’s present-day (Kidman) return to her hometown, where she resumes her former position while investigating a grisly murder.
Kay’s sister Dorothy, played by Amanda Righetti (young) and Jamie Lee Curtis, wishes she wouldn’t. The forensic crime thriller was adapted for streaming by Liz Sarnoff (Barry, Lost).
“With skilled hands and an unnerving eye, unrelenting medical examiner Kay Scarpetta is determined to serve as the voice of the victims, unmask a serial killer and prove that her career-making case from 28 years prior isn’t also her undoing,” the logline reads.
“Set against the backdrop of modern forensic investigation, the series delves beyond the crime scene to explore the psychological complexities of both perpetrators and investigators, creating a multi-layered thriller that examines the toll of pursuing justice at all costs,” the description continues. “As Scarpetta pursues justice, she must navigate complicated relationships, including the fraught dynamic with her sister Dorothy Farinelli, confront long-held professional and personal grudges, and face secrets that threaten to unravel everything she’s built.”
Bobby Cannavale, Simon Baker and Ariana DeBose round out the cast. Jake Cannavale plays the younger version of dad Bobby; Hunter Parrish plays the younger version of Baker’s character.
More than 120 million copies of Cornwell’s novels have been sold worldwide since the Kay Scarpetta character’s debut in 1990. The Scarpetta series is produced by Amazon MGM Studios and Blumhouse Television in association with Blossom Films, Comet Pictures, and P&S Projects.
Scarpetta is executive produced by Kidman and Per Saari through Blossom Films, Curtis through Comet Pictures, writer and showrunner Sarnoff through Sarnoff TV, author Cornwell through P&S Projects, as well as Jason Blum, Jeremy Gold, Chris Dickie and Chris McCumber through Blumhouse Television. David Gordon Green directed five episodes and is executive producer alongside Amy Sayres.
