Colin Firth is stepping into the shoes of author Michael Peterson, who was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in 2017.
The Mamma Mia! actor is set to portray the 77-year-old novelist in an HBO Max limited series based on the 2004 documentary The Staircase. Antonio Campos will direct the Englishman in the series, which is written and produced by American Crime Story writer Maggie Cohn.
The rest of the cast has yet to be announced, including the actress who will play Michael's second wife, Kathleen Peterson. She was found unconscious at the bottom of a staircase in the family's North Carolina home in 2001, before succumbing to her injuries.
Michael initially claimed his wife was inebriated and had fallen 20 feet down the stairs, causing substantial wounds to her head. However, an autopsy report contested his version of events, prompting police to further investigate her death.
French director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade later joined the Peterson family as they sought to prove the father of five's innocence, documenting it all for a 13-part documentary.
In the process of investigating Kathleen's death, it was revealed Michael had an extramarital affair with a man, which prosecutors claimed Kathleen knew about. Michael denied this assertion, sticking by his claim that her death was accidental.
Ultimately, Michael was convicted of murdering Kathleen and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2003. However, in 2011, a judge ordered that Michael get a retrial and his conviction was overturned.
He later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in 2017, marking the end of Michael's 16-year court battle.