Prime Video has ordered a new series starring Elizabeth Banks. The show is based on a real-life murder case explored in a Law&Crime and Audible Original podcast. The series will mark Banks’ second project with the streamer.
According to Deadline, Banks will star in and executive produce an untitled true-crime series about Karen Read, based on the podcast episode “Karen.” It explores the high-profile case in which Read was accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, who died in January 2022.
Commenting on the story, Banks said, “I grew up in Massachusetts, and like so many people there, we watched this case divide families, friends, and entire towns. We have spent years with this material because the questions it raises go far beyond one courtroom: why we choose the stories we believe, and what happens when trust in our institutions breaks down.”
Read’s trial attracted widespread attention and discussion, as she was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter. However, she was found guilty of the lesser charge of operating under the influence and received a one-year probation sentence.
Who else is involved with Elizabeth Banks’ new Prime Video TV show?
The untitled Prime Video TV show had been in development since August. Justin Noble, known for Brooklyn Nine-Nine, will write, serve as showrunner, and executive produce the drama series.
The series will be produced by Warner Bros. Television, Brownstone Productions, David E. Kelley Productions, Audible, and Law&Crime. In addition to Banks and Noble, executive producers include Max Handelman, Krissy Wall, David E. Kelley, Matthew Tinker, Aaron Hart, Marshall Lewy, Jeni Mulein, Jen Sargen, Rachel Stockman, and Dan Abrams.
In a statement, Noble stated that the Read’s story had more “twists and turns than any real or fictional story that he had come across. The reason this story resonates and must be told is because of the profound takeaways it leaves us with: about a deeply imperfect justice system that urgently needs change, about the mistreatment of women by those who weaponize and abuse their power, and about a victim who deserves to be remembered.”
The true-crime series will have eight episodes. Beyond these details, no other information has been revealed.
Originally reported on ComingSoon.net.
