Netflix’s “Alias Grace” has found its star. The streaming site has announced that Sarah Gadon (“Belle,” “A Dangerous Method”) will take on the lead role of Grace Marks in the upcoming miniseries.
As we previously reported, Netflix is adapting Margaret Atwood’s “Alias Grace” into a six-hour miniseries.
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.”
Gadon recently appeared in Hulu’s “11.22.63.” 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.