After nearly 30 novels, Kay Scarpetta is about to jump right off the pages of Patricia Cornwell’s books and onto the small screen. Prime Video has officially greenlit a TV series based on the famous fictional chief medical examiner, and they’ve ordered not one but two seasons to start.
Buzz surrounding a Scarpetta series first spiked in 2023 when Deadline began reporting that Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis were interested in pursuing the project. However, it wasn’t until this September that the rumors became reality, with Kidman, Curtis, and several other leads announced in the process.
If you’re a longtime Scarpetta fan like me (shoutout to my mom for making the introduction), keep reading to find out everything we know so far about this developing book-to-series adaptation.
Who is Kay Scarpetta?
Cornwell first introduced Scarpetta to fans back in 1990 with the release of her mystery Postmortem. In it, fans learned that Scarpetta lived in Richmond and served as chief medical examiner for the Commonwealth of Virginia. The petite blonde is a whip-smart workaholic with perfectionist tendencies and a love for cooking (especially dishes rooted in her Italian descent).
Cornwell has attributed her inspiration for the character to now-retired real-life Virginia Chief Medical Examiner Marcella Farinelli Fierro, MD.
What will the Scarpetta TV series be about?
As Cornwell fans well remember, Scarpetta resigned as chief medical examiner after the events of 2000’s The Last Precinct. She worked as a private forensic consultant for a time before becoming the head of the National Forensic Academy in Hollywood, Florida (which was founded by her niece, Lucy). Scarpetta also spends time in both Charleston and Massachusetts.
But according to the show’s logline, the series will follow Scarpetta as she returns to Virginia and her former position as chief medical examiner. The mystery thriller will focus on her “complex relationships, both personal and professional — including her sister Dorothy — with plenty of grudges and secrets to uncover.”
Who’ll play Scarpetta?
You might say the cast for the series is stacking up to be pretty star-studded. Taking the lead role will be Nicole Kidman, apparently a longtime fan of the Cornwell character. “I’ve been pursuing Scarpetta for nearly 20 years going back to when it was intended to be a feature, so to unite with the formidable Jamie Lee Curtis, Prime Video, Jason Blum, and David Gordon Green on the Liz Sarnoff series version of Patricia Cornwell’s epic and thrilling books feels like it was meant to be,” Kidman said in a press release. “I cannot wait to inhabit Kay Scarpetta and am so thankful to Patricia Cornwell for entrusting me with her.”
Executive producing and starring alongside Kidman will be the aforementioned Jamie Lee Curtis, who’s excited to step into the shoes of Scarpetta’s sister, Dorothy. “I know the ardent fans of the books will be very happy, and the new audience will be compelled by the characters, crimes, and mysteries that are the trifecta of Patricia’s masterful storytelling,” Curtis said, adding, “and a warning…….. there WILL be BLOOD.”
Five other series regulars have already been announced as well: Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) will play Scarpetta’s niece Lucy; Bobby Cannavale (The Watcher) will play former detective Pete Marino; Simon Baker (The Mentalist) will play FBI profiler and Scarpetta love interest Benton Wesley; Rosy McEwen (Blue Jean) will play a younger Scarpetta; and Bobby Cannavale’s real-life son Jake (The Offer) will play a younger Pete Marino.
Does the Scarpetta series have a release date yet?
Now that the series has officially been ordered, we’ve entered the “hurry up and wait” phase. Although it’s still too early for a release date, it seems as though everyone involved in the production has been waiting just as long as fans for this to come to fruition. *Hopefully* that means it’ll drop sometime early in 2025.
