After the success of “Making a Murderer,” Netflix is keen on continuing the addicting trend that is true-crime entertainment. Now, the streaming site has just green-lit a six-hour miniseries based on Margaret Atwood’s “Alias Grace.”
Inspired by the true story of convicted murderer Grace Marks, Atwood’s novel tells the story of “a poor, young Irish immigrant and domestic servant in Upper Canada who, along with stable hand James McDermott, was convicted of the brutal murders of their employer, Thomas Kinnear, and his housekeeper, Nancy Montgomery, in 1843. James was hanged while Grace was sentenced to life imprisonment. Grace became one of the most enigmatic and notorious women of 1840s Canada for her supposed role in the sensational double murder, and was eventually exonerated after 30 years in jail. Her conviction was controversial, and sparked much debate about whether Grace was actually involved in the murder, or merely an unwitting accessory.”
The miniseries will be written and produced by Sarah Polley (“Stories We Tell”) and will be directed by Mary Harron (“American Psycho”). Production will begin in Canada in August of this year. The miniseries will be broadcast on CBC in Canada and stream on Netflix everywhere else. No word yet on the cast.
“I first read ‘Alias Grace’ when I was 17 years old, and throughout the last 20 years I have read it over and over, trying to get to the bottom of it,” said Polley in a statement. “Grace Marks, as captured by Margaret Atwood, is the most complex, riveting character I have ever read. I’m thrilled that Mary Harron has taken the project on. I know that her ability to create suspense, tension, and delve into the dark, unknowable aspects of her characters will bring this piece alive. I can’t wait for us to bring the many versions of Grace’s gripping story, and the questions they raise, to television audiences.”
Harron called Polley’s adaptation “brilliant” and said the story “combines the richness of period drama with the tension and mystery of a modern day ‘Serial.’ It is an honor to be chosen to take this captivating story to the screen and to give new audiences the thrill of watching it unfold,” she said.
A number of other Atwood-inspired TV projects are in the works. “Mad Men” and “Top of the Lake” star Elisabeth Moss signed on to an adaptation of Atwood’s “A Handmaid’s Tale” for Hulu. HBO is making a drama series called “MaddAddam,” which will be based on Atwood’s trilogy that features the books “Oryx and Crake” (2003), “Year Of The Flood” (2009), and “MaddAddam” (2013). Atwood was recently named as the 2016 recipient of the PEN Pinter Prize, an honor celebrating champions of free speech.
