The subjects of The Staircase, Hoop Dreams, Capturing the Friedmans and others contribute to this thoughtful film about the duty of care film-makers owe those whose stories they tell
If you’ve seen the sensational true crime documentary series The Staircase, you’ll know the story. In 2001, after Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of the stairs at her home in North Carolina, police suspicion turned to her novelist husband Michael Peterson. When he allowed a documentary team to film what happened next, Peterson said it was because he was worried about getting a fair trial. His adopted daughter, Margaret Ratliff, 20 at the time, grief-stricken and terrified that her dad could be facing the death penalty, agreed to be part of the film. The loss of her privacy in the years since has been devastating, she admits now. “I can’t tell you how painful it is, reliving...
If you’ve seen the sensational true crime documentary series The Staircase, you’ll know the story. In 2001, after Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of the stairs at her home in North Carolina, police suspicion turned to her novelist husband Michael Peterson. When he allowed a documentary team to film what happened next, Peterson said it was because he was worried about getting a fair trial. His adopted daughter, Margaret Ratliff, 20 at the time, grief-stricken and terrified that her dad could be facing the death penalty, agreed to be part of the film. The loss of her privacy in the years since has been devastating, she admits now. “I can’t tell you how painful it is, reliving...
- 2/28/2023
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
The 2023 Golden Globes nominations were announced on December 12 in film and television, as voted on by members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Who will prevail in the category of Best TV Movie/Limited Actor during NBC’s ceremony on Tuesday, January 10? This year’s five nominees are: Taron Egerton (“Black Bird”), Colin Firth (“The Staircase”), Andrew Garfield (“Under the Banner of Heaven”), Evan Peters (“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”) and Sebastian Stan (“Pam and Tommy”).
Scroll down to see Gold Derby’s 2023 Golden Globes TV Predictions for Best TV Movie/Limited Actor, listed in order of their racetrack odds. Our Golden Globe odds are based on the combined forecasts of thousands of readers, including Experts we’ve polled from major media outlets, Editors who cover awards year-round for this website, Top 24 Users who did the best predicting the winners last time, All-Star Users who had the best prediction scores over the last two years,...
Scroll down to see Gold Derby’s 2023 Golden Globes TV Predictions for Best TV Movie/Limited Actor, listed in order of their racetrack odds. Our Golden Globe odds are based on the combined forecasts of thousands of readers, including Experts we’ve polled from major media outlets, Editors who cover awards year-round for this website, Top 24 Users who did the best predicting the winners last time, All-Star Users who had the best prediction scores over the last two years,...
- 12/31/2022
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
Perhaps this is an experience you felt earlier this year. You walk into your local movie theater, eager to watch "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." Maybe it's because it is Sam Raimi's first film since that time James Franco pretended to have an ounce of Frank Morgan's charisma. Maybe it's because you're still invested in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in some way, or perhaps you just thought the trailers looked cool. Either way, you've taken your seat. The trailers finish rolling, and the film has begun.
Then, after a few minutes of tension-building action, you see him. He's sitting next to Benedict Cumberbatch's titular wizard. He's wearing a tan suit, but most importantly, he's wearing the flattest, most skater boy-looking wig you've ever seen in your life. It looks horrible, but beautiful at the same time. You want to rip it off of his head,...
Then, after a few minutes of tension-building action, you see him. He's sitting next to Benedict Cumberbatch's titular wizard. He's wearing a tan suit, but most importantly, he's wearing the flattest, most skater boy-looking wig you've ever seen in your life. It looks horrible, but beautiful at the same time. You want to rip it off of his head,...
- 12/12/2022
- by Erin Brady
- Slash Film
Variety has reported that HBO Max have tapped Antonio Campos (The Staircase) to serve as the showrunner on the Arkham Asylum series. This marks the third showrunner the series has had since it was originally announced more than two years ago.
The Arkham Asylum series began life as a show set in the Gotham City Police Department. Terence Winter (Boardwalk Empire) was set to write and executive produce the spin-off of Matt Reeves’ The Batman, but Winter left the series due to creative differences. Joe Barton (The Lazarus Project) then boarded the series, only to leave as well when the focus shifted to Arkham Asylum. Should Antonio Campos stick around long enough, he will also direct and executive produce the Arkham Asylum series.
Related Paul Dano says studio tracked all Riddler material
Matt Reeves confirmed earlier this year that the Gcpd series had indeed evolved. “The Gcpd thing, that story has kind of evolved,...
The Arkham Asylum series began life as a show set in the Gotham City Police Department. Terence Winter (Boardwalk Empire) was set to write and executive produce the spin-off of Matt Reeves’ The Batman, but Winter left the series due to creative differences. Joe Barton (The Lazarus Project) then boarded the series, only to leave as well when the focus shifted to Arkham Asylum. Should Antonio Campos stick around long enough, he will also direct and executive produce the Arkham Asylum series.
Related Paul Dano says studio tracked all Riddler material
Matt Reeves confirmed earlier this year that the Gcpd series had indeed evolved. “The Gcpd thing, that story has kind of evolved,...
- 10/25/2022
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
Updated: “The Batman” spinoff series about Arkham Asylum at HBO Max has brought on Antonio Campos as its new writer, Variety has learned exclusively from sources.
Sources also say that Campos will direct and serve as showrunner/executive producer on the series, should his version of the show ultimately go forward.
Although Matt Reeves had previously said that the originally planned Gotham Pd series had “kind of evolved” into what is now the Arkham Asylum show, an individual with knowledge of the situation now says that the two are in fact completely separate and that the Gotham Pd series remains in development. The Gotham Pd series was originally announced in July 2020 with a series commitment. At that time, the show was meant to be about the inner workings of the Gcpd and set within the same world as Reeves’ “The Batman,” with Terence Winter writing and executive producing. But news...
Sources also say that Campos will direct and serve as showrunner/executive producer on the series, should his version of the show ultimately go forward.
Although Matt Reeves had previously said that the originally planned Gotham Pd series had “kind of evolved” into what is now the Arkham Asylum show, an individual with knowledge of the situation now says that the two are in fact completely separate and that the Gotham Pd series remains in development. The Gotham Pd series was originally announced in July 2020 with a series commitment. At that time, the show was meant to be about the inner workings of the Gcpd and set within the same world as Reeves’ “The Batman,” with Terence Winter writing and executive producing. But news...
- 10/25/2022
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Three former Emmy winners are in the running for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie this year. Will they get a chance to add to their laurels, though?
Half of the six nominees in this category have clutched Emmy gold in the past, including Julia Garner, who’s won twice for Ozark and is nominated here for playing con artist Anna Delvey in Netflix’s Inventing Anna. Sarah Paulson, who won this award in 2016 for playing The People v. O.J. Simpson‘s Marcia Clark, is back for another American Crime Story performance: that of whistleblower...
Half of the six nominees in this category have clutched Emmy gold in the past, including Julia Garner, who’s won twice for Ozark and is nominated here for playing con artist Anna Delvey in Netflix’s Inventing Anna. Sarah Paulson, who won this award in 2016 for playing The People v. O.J. Simpson‘s Marcia Clark, is back for another American Crime Story performance: that of whistleblower...
- 8/30/2022
- by Dave Nemetz
- TVLine.com
Toni Collette (The Staircase) has been tapped as a lead in The Power, Prime Video’s 10-episode global thriller drama based on Naomi Alderman’s feminist sci-fi book, while The Good Wife alum Josh Charles is set for a key recurring role in the series from Jane Featherstone’s Sister and director Reed Morano. They replace Leslie Mann and Tim Robbins, respectively, who both exited the series in May.
Additionally, Raelle Tucker has signed an overall deal with Amazon Studios. Under the pact, in addition to developing new projects, Tucker will serve as showrunner and executive producer of The Power.
The Power was among the series most seriously impacted by the pandemic. Mann was originally cast as lead Margot Cleary-Lopez in October 2019, followed by Rainn Wilson as the then-male lead series regular role of Daniel Dandon at the start of 2020. Production started in February 2020 but was...
Additionally, Raelle Tucker has signed an overall deal with Amazon Studios. Under the pact, in addition to developing new projects, Tucker will serve as showrunner and executive producer of The Power.
The Power was among the series most seriously impacted by the pandemic. Mann was originally cast as lead Margot Cleary-Lopez in October 2019, followed by Rainn Wilson as the then-male lead series regular role of Daniel Dandon at the start of 2020. Production started in February 2020 but was...
- 8/23/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Spoiler Alert: Do not read if you have not watched “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” now playing in theaters.
A24’s “Bodies Bodies Bodies” starts with seven young partiers drinking, doing drugs and hooking up during a hurricane party, but the debauchery turns deadly as the night goes on, until just two people are left alive.
Young lovers Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) and Bee (Maria Bakalova) may be the only two survivors of this Gen Z massacre, but the trust between them is completely broken. Before falling to her death, Jordan (Myha’la Herrold) reveals to Bee that she and Sophie slept together before the party, which Sophie denies. But after finding Jordan’s underwear in Sophie’s car, Bee isn’t so sure. Sophie’s trustworthiness is then further called into question after she claims she had discovered Emma (Chase Sui Wonders) dead at the bottom of the stairs — which was a deliberate...
A24’s “Bodies Bodies Bodies” starts with seven young partiers drinking, doing drugs and hooking up during a hurricane party, but the debauchery turns deadly as the night goes on, until just two people are left alive.
Young lovers Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) and Bee (Maria Bakalova) may be the only two survivors of this Gen Z massacre, but the trust between them is completely broken. Before falling to her death, Jordan (Myha’la Herrold) reveals to Bee that she and Sophie slept together before the party, which Sophie denies. But after finding Jordan’s underwear in Sophie’s car, Bee isn’t so sure. Sophie’s trustworthiness is then further called into question after she claims she had discovered Emma (Chase Sui Wonders) dead at the bottom of the stairs — which was a deliberate...
- 8/22/2022
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
Each morning as Toni Collette brushes her teeth, an owl stares back at her.
The stoic bird of prey is not perched outside her window but rather ornately sitting on her countertop, contorted into the shape of a ceramic coffee mug that she places her toothbrush into before she starts her day.
“It’s there looking at me daily — twice a day if I’m dentally honest,” Collette says. “Maybe I need a new receptacle.”
Even if its days as her morning companion are numbered, the mug is a surreal artifact of her newly Emmy-nominated turn as Kathleen Peterson, a North Carolina woman found dead at the bottom of her stairs in 2001 — a case dramatized by HBO Max’s true crime limited series “The Staircase.”
The shocking death occupied headlines for months as her husband, Michael Peterson (played by Colin Firth), was tried and convicted of her murder — all of...
The stoic bird of prey is not perched outside her window but rather ornately sitting on her countertop, contorted into the shape of a ceramic coffee mug that she places her toothbrush into before she starts her day.
“It’s there looking at me daily — twice a day if I’m dentally honest,” Collette says. “Maybe I need a new receptacle.”
Even if its days as her morning companion are numbered, the mug is a surreal artifact of her newly Emmy-nominated turn as Kathleen Peterson, a North Carolina woman found dead at the bottom of her stairs in 2001 — a case dramatized by HBO Max’s true crime limited series “The Staircase.”
The shocking death occupied headlines for months as her husband, Michael Peterson (played by Colin Firth), was tried and convicted of her murder — all of...
- 8/6/2022
- by Hunter Ingram
- Variety Film + TV
A television star violated by the public eye. A whistleblower with ulterior motives. An inventor who wasn’t as revolutionary as she advertised. A woman whose shocking death became a sensation. A con artist with a flair for the dramatic. A young mother providing for her daughter one housekeeping job at a time.
As disparate as these characters may seem, two threads bind them together — they’re all based on or inspired by real women, and they earned those who played them Emmy nominations for lead actress in a limited or anthology series.
For the first time in more than a decade, every nominee in the category played a character inspired by, if not directly based on, a real person. The last time this happened was 2009, when Jessica Lange took the win for HBO’s “Grey Gardens.
The category sweep isn’t exactly surprising considering the wealth of fact-based contenders...
As disparate as these characters may seem, two threads bind them together — they’re all based on or inspired by real women, and they earned those who played them Emmy nominations for lead actress in a limited or anthology series.
For the first time in more than a decade, every nominee in the category played a character inspired by, if not directly based on, a real person. The last time this happened was 2009, when Jessica Lange took the win for HBO’s “Grey Gardens.
The category sweep isn’t exactly surprising considering the wealth of fact-based contenders...
- 8/4/2022
- by Hunter Ingram
- Variety Film + TV
Patrick Schwarzenegger now knows what it’s like to be pregnant. Well, kind of.
While the “Terminal List” actor’s father Arnold Schwarzenegger played a man who could conceive and carry a child in 1994 comedy “Junior,” Schwarzenegger revealed he wore a “pregnancy belly” prosthetic to show his “The Staircase” character’s physical change over the course of the HBO limited series.
“He got really heavy,” Schwarzenegger told Variety of playing real-life North Carolina resident Todd Peterson, who battles alcohol and drug abuse. “I had to wear a four-month pregnancy belly. It was weird.”
Schwarzenegger’s Todd is the son of Michael Peterson (Colin Firth) and Kathleen Peterson (Toni Collette) who are caught up in a twisted true crime case after Kathleen is found dead at the foot of the stairs. While the real Michael Peterson has slammed the HBO series for being inaccurate, co-showrunner and executive producer Maggie Cohn assured...
While the “Terminal List” actor’s father Arnold Schwarzenegger played a man who could conceive and carry a child in 1994 comedy “Junior,” Schwarzenegger revealed he wore a “pregnancy belly” prosthetic to show his “The Staircase” character’s physical change over the course of the HBO limited series.
“He got really heavy,” Schwarzenegger told Variety of playing real-life North Carolina resident Todd Peterson, who battles alcohol and drug abuse. “I had to wear a four-month pregnancy belly. It was weird.”
Schwarzenegger’s Todd is the son of Michael Peterson (Colin Firth) and Kathleen Peterson (Toni Collette) who are caught up in a twisted true crime case after Kathleen is found dead at the foot of the stairs. While the real Michael Peterson has slammed the HBO series for being inaccurate, co-showrunner and executive producer Maggie Cohn assured...
- 7/27/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The Best Movie/Limited Actress race at the 2022 Emmys is so competitive that six of Hollywood’s top leading ladies are fighting just to be nominated. Our current odds have Amanda Seyfried (“The Dropout”), Margaret Qualley (“Maid”), Jessica Chastain (“Scenes from a Marriage”), Lily James (“Pam and Tommy”), Julia Garner (“Inventing Anna”) and Julia Roberts (“Gaslit”) taking the six slots available. But which former Oscar nominees (or winners) could play spoiler when nominations are revealed on July 12? There are six within striking distance.
Viola Davis is in seventh position for her portrayal of Michelle Obama in Showtime’s “The First Lady.” There are 10 experts currently predicting Davis will be nominated, along with three editors, four of our Top 24 users and six All-Stars. She won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for “Fences” (2016) and was nominated on three other occasions for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (2020) “The Help” (2011) and “Doubt” (2008). The Academy...
Viola Davis is in seventh position for her portrayal of Michelle Obama in Showtime’s “The First Lady.” There are 10 experts currently predicting Davis will be nominated, along with three editors, four of our Top 24 users and six All-Stars. She won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for “Fences” (2016) and was nominated on three other occasions for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (2020) “The Help” (2011) and “Doubt” (2008). The Academy...
- 7/4/2022
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
This year’s Best Movie/Limited Actress Emmy race is shaping up to be one for the record books, with a strong showing of actresses depicting real-life women in contention. Looking at Gold Derby’s combined odds, 11 of the top 15 spots are taken by performers who are playing such true-to-name nonfiction characters. If we broaden this definition to include characters who are merely inspired by living people, that number changes to 13.
Trending in the top spot, we have Amanda Seyfried portraying Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes in Hulu’s “The Dropout.” Television critic Lucy Mangan with The Guardian refers to Seyfried’s performance as “hugely skillful,” going on to say, “Seyfried makes it all work and keeps our attention – even our sympathy.” The actress is also riding high fresh off of her first Oscar nomination for her performance in 2020’s “Mank,” which can often boost a performer’s Emmy chances.
Following closely behind is Margaret Qualley,...
Trending in the top spot, we have Amanda Seyfried portraying Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes in Hulu’s “The Dropout.” Television critic Lucy Mangan with The Guardian refers to Seyfried’s performance as “hugely skillful,” going on to say, “Seyfried makes it all work and keeps our attention – even our sympathy.” The actress is also riding high fresh off of her first Oscar nomination for her performance in 2020’s “Mank,” which can often boost a performer’s Emmy chances.
Following closely behind is Margaret Qualley,...
- 6/29/2022
- by Hunter K. Taylor and Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
HBO Max’s “The Staircase” marks the fifth collaboration for music supervisor Randall Poster and creator Antonio Campos. Poster says that the journey has helped build a musical rapport. When it came to finding the perfect needle drop moments for the true-crime series starring Colin Firth and Toni Collette, Poster looked to music that would help tell the story rather than rely on the musical tastes of the characters.
“The Staircase” retells the death of Kathleen Peterson, played by Collette, from a fall from a staircase in her home. Husband Michael Peterson (Firth) was convicted of murder in 2003. He was eventually released but to this day nobody knows exactly how Kathleen died.
Set around the events of 2001, Poster’s primary challenge was how to use music to tell that story as the story jumped back and forth in time within a short period. Poster says, “The challenge was how to...
“The Staircase” retells the death of Kathleen Peterson, played by Collette, from a fall from a staircase in her home. Husband Michael Peterson (Firth) was convicted of murder in 2003. He was eventually released but to this day nobody knows exactly how Kathleen died.
Set around the events of 2001, Poster’s primary challenge was how to use music to tell that story as the story jumped back and forth in time within a short period. Poster says, “The challenge was how to...
- 6/27/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Courteney Cox has done a bit of everything: danced in a famous music video with Bruce Springsteen; produced a game show; starred in one of the most famous sitcoms of all time and survived a dozen fights with Ghostface.
So, what inspires an actor with so many successes? Something completely different. While Cox’s own show, Starz’s “Shining Vale,” which she both produces and stars in, is an Emmy contender in the comedy category, she hasn’t been watching shows that are making her laugh. Instead, she’s been watching true crime stories, first with HBO Max’s “The Staircase.”
“Colin Firth has gotten that character down. I’m just thrilled with it. I loved the documentary series, but I can’t believe how he has his own twist on it, but it’s how he’s enveloped that character,” she tells Variety of the show, which tells the real story of Michael Peterson,...
So, what inspires an actor with so many successes? Something completely different. While Cox’s own show, Starz’s “Shining Vale,” which she both produces and stars in, is an Emmy contender in the comedy category, she hasn’t been watching shows that are making her laugh. Instead, she’s been watching true crime stories, first with HBO Max’s “The Staircase.”
“Colin Firth has gotten that character down. I’m just thrilled with it. I loved the documentary series, but I can’t believe how he has his own twist on it, but it’s how he’s enveloped that character,” she tells Variety of the show, which tells the real story of Michael Peterson,...
- 6/24/2022
- by Emily Longeretta
- Variety Film + TV
[Warning: The above interview and following story contain spoilers about Season 4 of “Ozark.” Watch and read at your own risk.]
There is no doubt that the fourth and final season of “Ozark” was going to be the show’s most ambitious undertaking yet. For composers Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans, who received their career-first Emmy nominations for the Netflix drama’s third season in 2020, this meant they would have the chance to go bigger with their score — or so they thought. “I remember us saying, ‘It’s the fourth and final season — I wonder if we can push [the score] to get a little bigger than usual,'” recounts Bensi in a new webchat with Gold Derby (watch our exclusive video interview above). “I remember the answer coming back to us [being] like, ‘No, stay in the same world and add some new things, but really stay in the same world. We don’t need to depart from what we’ve been.'”
Even though...
There is no doubt that the fourth and final season of “Ozark” was going to be the show’s most ambitious undertaking yet. For composers Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans, who received their career-first Emmy nominations for the Netflix drama’s third season in 2020, this meant they would have the chance to go bigger with their score — or so they thought. “I remember us saying, ‘It’s the fourth and final season — I wonder if we can push [the score] to get a little bigger than usual,'” recounts Bensi in a new webchat with Gold Derby (watch our exclusive video interview above). “I remember the answer coming back to us [being] like, ‘No, stay in the same world and add some new things, but really stay in the same world. We don’t need to depart from what we’ve been.'”
Even though...
- 6/16/2022
- by Luca Giliberti
- Gold Derby
Of the many contenders vying for a spot in this year’s Best Limited Series Emmy lineup, HBO Max’s “The Staircase,” a true crime series based on the 2004 docuseries of the same name, seems to be emerging as a favorite. As chief critic for Vanity Fair, Richard Lawson, puts it, “There is a great whirring mind behind the series; it almost seems to gain its own sentience as it goes.” With its final episode having aired on June 9, the limited series has generated the kind of buzz that has helped previous contenders, such as last year’s “Mare of Easttown,” rise to the top of the pack, and put up a real fight on Emmy night. Here are my top five reasons why “The Staircase” can bring home Emmy gold for HBO Max.
SEEColin Firth (‘The Staircase’): Portraying real-life people is way to win awards
1. It is based on real events.
SEEColin Firth (‘The Staircase’): Portraying real-life people is way to win awards
1. It is based on real events.
- 6/15/2022
- by Hunter K. Taylor
- Gold Derby
Welcome to this week’s “Just for Variety.”
Patrick Schwarzenegger can’t reveal any details about his work in the upcoming spinoff of Amazon’s “The Boys” — no, he won’t confirm reports that he’s playing a character named Golden Boy — but he admits that he has shown his father, Arnold Schwarzenegger, photos from the set.
“He looked at me and he was like, ‘What the fuck are you filming?’” Patrick tells me on this week’s episode of the “Just for Variety” podcast. “I was like, ‘It’s this show called ‘The Boys.’ … You have to watch an episode to understand it, or else I can’t articulate what happens in it.”
“The Boys” producers reached out to Schwarzenegger for the spinoff after meeting him years ago when he auditioned to play the character of Homelander on the original series. He wasn’t allowed to read the spinoff...
Patrick Schwarzenegger can’t reveal any details about his work in the upcoming spinoff of Amazon’s “The Boys” — no, he won’t confirm reports that he’s playing a character named Golden Boy — but he admits that he has shown his father, Arnold Schwarzenegger, photos from the set.
“He looked at me and he was like, ‘What the fuck are you filming?’” Patrick tells me on this week’s episode of the “Just for Variety” podcast. “I was like, ‘It’s this show called ‘The Boys.’ … You have to watch an episode to understand it, or else I can’t articulate what happens in it.”
“The Boys” producers reached out to Schwarzenegger for the spinoff after meeting him years ago when he auditioned to play the character of Homelander on the original series. He wasn’t allowed to read the spinoff...
- 6/14/2022
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
I initially saw Jean-Xavier de Lestrade’s documentary series The Staircase on the Sundance Channel in 2005. It was the first time I had viewed a longform documentary structured episodically — each episode built over three acts with a cliffhanger compelling you to watch the next installment as soon as you could. Clearly I wasn’t the only one who was fascinated by the documentary, as it went on to become a defining work in the true-crime genre. And that could have been where the story ended.
But many years later, the talented writer-director Antonio Campos (an artist I already admired and a friend) approached me with a pilot he had written, inspired by the original French docuseries. It wasn’t an adaptation, but rather an opportunity to revisit the story in a new context — an opportunity to explore and investigate the evolution of true crime as a genre.
I initially saw Jean-Xavier de Lestrade’s documentary series The Staircase on the Sundance Channel in 2005. It was the first time I had viewed a longform documentary structured episodically — each episode built over three acts with a cliffhanger compelling you to watch the next installment as soon as you could. Clearly I wasn’t the only one who was fascinated by the documentary, as it went on to become a defining work in the true-crime genre. And that could have been where the story ended.
But many years later, the talented writer-director Antonio Campos (an artist I already admired and a friend) approached me with a pilot he had written, inspired by the original French docuseries. It wasn’t an adaptation, but rather an opportunity to revisit the story in a new context — an opportunity to explore and investigate the evolution of true crime as a genre.
- 6/14/2022
- by Maggie Cohn, as told to Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
HBO's true crime adaptation "The Staircase" continues to draw ire from those involved in the real-life story, as subject Michael Peterson has now shared any angry response via a series of emails to Variety. Peterson's defense attorney David Rudolf and three members of the real-life documentary team that's portrayed in the series -- director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, producer Allyson Luchak, and editor Scott Stevenson -- all recently spoke publicly about their problems with the Colin Firth-led dramatization. Peterson's son, Todd, took to Instagram to explain his own issues with the series.
The case of Kathleen Peterson, whose 2001 death at the...
The post The Staircase: Michael Peterson Pens Furious Response to HBO Series That 'Trashed Me' appeared first on /Film.
The case of Kathleen Peterson, whose 2001 death at the...
The post The Staircase: Michael Peterson Pens Furious Response to HBO Series That 'Trashed Me' appeared first on /Film.
- 6/11/2022
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
As much as people want to have answers, sometimes there are none. It's hard to accept that, much like Jon Benet Ramsey's murder or the Zodiac Killer's identity, Kathleen Peterson's death may remain a mystery. Sure, people can make assumptions about what happened on the night of Dec. 9, 2001, but no one will really know how it is that Kathleen, played by Toni Collette in The Staircase, died that night. And while it's only human to speculate about whether Kathleen's husband Michael Peterson, played by Colin Firth, killed her (he entered an Alford plea in 2017, in which he maintained his innocence while acknowledging there's enough evidence to...
- 6/11/2022
- E! Online
(Warning: This post features spoilers for the season finale of HBO Max’s limited series “The Staircase”).
And so we’ve reached the bottom of “The Staircase.” But Thursday’s finale hardly tied everything up with neat, definitive explanations. That would be anathema to the HBO Max limited series that challenged viewers to question the facts of the notorious Michael Peterson true-crime case as well as the nature of storytelling. So instead of neatly answered questions, we are left with the unsettling image of Colin Firth, as Peterson, looking straight into the camera, his mouth curling into a subtle smirk. And then the screen goes black.
What?!
“The idea of that shot, in the way it was scripted, in the way that it’s performed, is that you’re seeing someone be two things at once,” the show’s creator, Antonio Campos, told TheWrap. “And you’re trying to process...
And so we’ve reached the bottom of “The Staircase.” But Thursday’s finale hardly tied everything up with neat, definitive explanations. That would be anathema to the HBO Max limited series that challenged viewers to question the facts of the notorious Michael Peterson true-crime case as well as the nature of storytelling. So instead of neatly answered questions, we are left with the unsettling image of Colin Firth, as Peterson, looking straight into the camera, his mouth curling into a subtle smirk. And then the screen goes black.
What?!
“The idea of that shot, in the way it was scripted, in the way that it’s performed, is that you’re seeing someone be two things at once,” the show’s creator, Antonio Campos, told TheWrap. “And you’re trying to process...
- 6/11/2022
- by Missy Schwartz
- The Wrap
Disputes over Antonio Campos’ HBO Max adaptation of “The Staircase” have some in the documentary community questioning whether they would readily allow a narrative director to turn their facts into fiction.
“The Staircase” revolves around the death of Kathleen Peterson and the murder trial of her husband Michael, as the filmmakers chronicling the case for a docuseries of the same name become central characters in the storytelling. Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of the staircase of their North Carolina home in 2001, and Michael was convicted of murder in 2003 before accepting an Alford plea for manslaughter charges in 2017, which freed him for good. The HBO Max series, which concluded this week, stars Colin Firth as Michael and Toni Collette as Kathleen; documentary filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade is portrayed by Vincent Vermignon and editor Sophie Brunet by Juliette Binoche.
Shortly after the May 5 premiere of the HBO Max miniseries,...
“The Staircase” revolves around the death of Kathleen Peterson and the murder trial of her husband Michael, as the filmmakers chronicling the case for a docuseries of the same name become central characters in the storytelling. Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of the staircase of their North Carolina home in 2001, and Michael was convicted of murder in 2003 before accepting an Alford plea for manslaughter charges in 2017, which freed him for good. The HBO Max series, which concluded this week, stars Colin Firth as Michael and Toni Collette as Kathleen; documentary filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade is portrayed by Vincent Vermignon and editor Sophie Brunet by Juliette Binoche.
Shortly after the May 5 premiere of the HBO Max miniseries,...
- 6/10/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
What’s harder to work with when it comes to writing a limited series — true stories taken from real life, or the stuff of fiction? A panel of top writers debated the challenges of working with headline-driven and historical material during the final hour of Variety‘s Night in the Writers’ Room on June 9 at 1 Hotel in West Hollywood.
“There’s a little bit of a tightrope-walk in a true story that you don’t necessarily have to walk in fiction,” said Dustin Lance Black, the writer-producer behind FX’s “Under the Banner of Heaven.” He noted that the series, about the 1984 murder of a woman and her infant daughter in Salt Lake City, deals with three intertwined stories, one of which is fictional. “That one to me, I had a slightly easier time with. If I hit a dramatic wall and needed a complication, I was able to make it up.
“There’s a little bit of a tightrope-walk in a true story that you don’t necessarily have to walk in fiction,” said Dustin Lance Black, the writer-producer behind FX’s “Under the Banner of Heaven.” He noted that the series, about the 1984 murder of a woman and her infant daughter in Salt Lake City, deals with three intertwined stories, one of which is fictional. “That one to me, I had a slightly easier time with. If I hit a dramatic wall and needed a complication, I was able to make it up.
- 6/10/2022
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Over the past five weeks, HBO Max’s “The Staircase” has taken another look at the 2001 death of Kathleen Peterson and the subsequent murder trial against her husband, Michael Peterson.
The final episode follows Michael at two different points over the past two decades: The first is after he’s granted a retrial after spending eight years in prison and his family is reignited with the hope that he might prove his innocence. The second is in 2017, when he finally took an Alford plea — allowing him to accept his sentence, which was time served, without admitting guilt.
Whether the conclusion is satisfying is up to the viewer. The series explores several ways in which Kathleen could have died, and the story questions Michael’s innocence down to the last shot. Ultimately, creator Antonio Campos had his hands tied when it came to wrapping things up, considering we may never know what truly happened to Kathleen.
The final episode follows Michael at two different points over the past two decades: The first is after he’s granted a retrial after spending eight years in prison and his family is reignited with the hope that he might prove his innocence. The second is in 2017, when he finally took an Alford plea — allowing him to accept his sentence, which was time served, without admitting guilt.
Whether the conclusion is satisfying is up to the viewer. The series explores several ways in which Kathleen could have died, and the story questions Michael’s innocence down to the last shot. Ultimately, creator Antonio Campos had his hands tied when it came to wrapping things up, considering we may never know what truly happened to Kathleen.
- 6/10/2022
- by Katie Campione
- The Wrap
[Warning: The below contains Major spoilers for Season 1, Episodes 1-8 of The Staircase.] The Staircase is a true-crime tale that’s been dissected many times in the years since Kathleen Peterson’s death, and it’s because of the story’s many twists and turns that Antonio Campos was able to deliver a riveting eight-episode scripted adaptation on HBO Max. The writer, director, and executive producer was first introduced to the case of Michael and Kathleen when it was being considered for a movie adaptation. “I was immediately hooked,” Campos says. “I hadn’t heard about this case. I hadn’t heard about the film or the documentary series. And so, I was just riveted.” And who wouldn’t be when a woman is supposedly discovered bleeding at the bottom of a staircase by her husband who is then accused of her murder. (Credit: HBO Max) It was the case’s many facets that fascinated him along with the figure ...
- 6/10/2022
- TV Insider
Click here to read the full article.
Parker Posey and Michael Stuhlbarg play opposing counsel in HBO Max’s limited series The Staircase, which is based on the documentary of the same name that followed the trial of Michael Peterson following the 2003 death of his wife, Kathleen.
Because the trial itself was highly publicized at the time and was the focus of a docuseries from director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, Posey and Stuhlbarg say they had plenty of material to work with in preparing for their roles as prosecutor Freda Black and Peterson’s defense attorney David Rudolf. While Black died in 2018, Rudolf made himself available to both actors to help gear up for the complicated courtroom scenes. Plus, both actors say, creator Antonio Campos supplied stacks and stacks of courtroom files and autopsy photos of Kathleen Peterson to assist.
Posey and Stuhlbarg talk to THR about what drew them to The Staircase,...
Parker Posey and Michael Stuhlbarg play opposing counsel in HBO Max’s limited series The Staircase, which is based on the documentary of the same name that followed the trial of Michael Peterson following the 2003 death of his wife, Kathleen.
Because the trial itself was highly publicized at the time and was the focus of a docuseries from director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, Posey and Stuhlbarg say they had plenty of material to work with in preparing for their roles as prosecutor Freda Black and Peterson’s defense attorney David Rudolf. While Black died in 2018, Rudolf made himself available to both actors to help gear up for the complicated courtroom scenes. Plus, both actors say, creator Antonio Campos supplied stacks and stacks of courtroom files and autopsy photos of Kathleen Peterson to assist.
Posey and Stuhlbarg talk to THR about what drew them to The Staircase,...
- 6/9/2022
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It turns out not everybody loves a speech. Margaret Ratliff (Sophie Turner) attempts to lighten the mood with some encouraging words the night before her father Michael Peterson's (Colin Firth) retrial hearing for the murder of his wife Kathleen Peterson (Toni Collette) in this exclusive clip from the June 9 finale of HBO Max's The Staircase. Surrounded by a large group—including siblings Clayton Peterson (Dane DeHaan), Todd Peterson (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and Martha Ratliff (Odessa Young) and their father's partner Sophie Brussard (Juliette Binoche)—Margaret pulls out a golden trophy and says "I have a surprise!" When somebody asks what she's...
- 6/8/2022
- E! Online
[Warning: The below contains Major spoilers for Season 1, Episodes 1-6 of The Staircase.] The Staircase may be all about the circumstances surrounding Kathleen Peterson’s (Toni Collette) death, but at its core, it’s a drama about her and Michael Peterson’s (Colin Firth) family. Along for the ride are a large ensemble among which include Michael’s sons, Clayton (Dane DeHaan) and Todd (Patrick Schwarzenegger) who go through quite a few changes as the HBO Max limited series progresses. Following the untimely end of Kathleen’s life, Todd is the one to step up and try to keep things together for his father and siblings, while Clayton is treated as a bit of a pariah for past discretions. (Credit: HBO Max) Still, they stick by their father, no matter what ground they’re on. “Maybe they feel more of a responsibility to step up for their father because they are his biological sons,” DeHaan admits. “I think what’s ...
- 5/27/2022
- TV Insider
Michael Peterson and his children are still trying to find some sense of normalcy after losing Kathleen Peterson 20 years ago. So no, he and his four kids, Margaret, Martha, Todd and Clayton, won't be watching the HBO Max adaptation of The Staircase documentary. "I was there when she died," he told This Morning hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield on May 25. "I definitely do not want to watch a fictionalized account, seeing her die three times." Michael said that his children told him they didn't "even think of watching" the series when they first heard about it, saying that they're still trying to move on after becoming public...
- 5/25/2022
- E! Online
The Staircase documentary seemed like the definitive source for all information on the Michael Peterson trial. After all, the documentarians were there in the room, speaking to prosecutors, defense attorneys and the real-life people whose lives were irrevocably changed by the death of Kathleen Peterson (Toni Collette). But HBO Max's adaptation of the docuseries is likely to plant new questions in viewers' minds. This is, by the way, totally intentional. Showrunners Antonio Campos and Maggie Cohn want you to question what you thought you knew. Maggie explained to E! News that the whole series questions the "idea that anything can be fully accurate or there could be a single...
- 5/20/2022
- E! Online
An actress receiving two Primetime Emmy nominations in a single year may seem like a rare occurrence, but it is actually fairly common. In fact, there have been 65 instances since 1967, including two last year involving Aidy Bryant and Jean Smart. What is uncommon is a woman earning double recognition within the same genre, with Bryant being one of only a dozen to ever be so honored (discounting guest categories). Now, Toni Collette has a shot at becoming the lucky 13th.
For her work on the two limited series “The Staircase” and “Pieces of Her,” Collette could be nominated this year as both a featured player and a lead. On the former show, she plays Kathleen Peterson, the subject of a real early 2000s murder case that ended in the conviction of her husband, Michael. Her potential supporting notice for playing Peterson would be her third in the category following bids...
For her work on the two limited series “The Staircase” and “Pieces of Her,” Collette could be nominated this year as both a featured player and a lead. On the former show, she plays Kathleen Peterson, the subject of a real early 2000s murder case that ended in the conviction of her husband, Michael. Her potential supporting notice for playing Peterson would be her third in the category following bids...
- 5/20/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo are in negotiations to join the cast of the next film from “Parasite” director Bong Joon-Ho that’s set at Warner Bros., an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.
Robert Pattinson is set to star in the film, which will be based on an upcoming book by Edward Ashton called “Mickey7.” Naomi Ackie also recently joined the cast.
Bong will also produce through his company Offscreen alongside Dooho Choi for Kate Street Picture Company and Plan B.
Also Read:
Bong Joon Ho in Talks for Next Film With Robert Pattinson at Warner Bros.
The book is a science fiction story from the author of “Three Days in April” and “The End of Ordinary” and is described by its publisher as “The Martian” meets “Dark Matter.” The book was recently published through St. Martin, a MacMillan imprint.
The story follows what’s known as an “Expendable,...
Robert Pattinson is set to star in the film, which will be based on an upcoming book by Edward Ashton called “Mickey7.” Naomi Ackie also recently joined the cast.
Bong will also produce through his company Offscreen alongside Dooho Choi for Kate Street Picture Company and Plan B.
Also Read:
Bong Joon Ho in Talks for Next Film With Robert Pattinson at Warner Bros.
The book is a science fiction story from the author of “Three Days in April” and “The End of Ordinary” and is described by its publisher as “The Martian” meets “Dark Matter.” The book was recently published through St. Martin, a MacMillan imprint.
The story follows what’s known as an “Expendable,...
- 5/20/2022
- by Brian Welk and Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Toni Collette has asserted herself as one of the most versatile actresses of her generation, proven once again by her phenomenal work in the HBO Max limited series “The Staircase.”
Variety has confirmed that Collette has been submitted for an Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a limited series for her turn as Kathleen Peterson, the dead wife (accidental or murdered?) of Michael, played by Emmy nominee and Oscar winner Colin Firth.
Read more: Variety’s Awards Circuit Emmys Predictions Hub
The miniseries, based on the documentary of the same name that steamed on Netflix in 2018, tells the story of Michael Peterson, a crime novelist, who is accused of bludgeoning his wife Kathleen to death after she is found at the bottom of a staircase in their home. As the clues and investigation unravel, a French documentary team begins filming the events, creating unexpected consequences.
The Australian actress is beloved:...
Variety has confirmed that Collette has been submitted for an Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a limited series for her turn as Kathleen Peterson, the dead wife (accidental or murdered?) of Michael, played by Emmy nominee and Oscar winner Colin Firth.
Read more: Variety’s Awards Circuit Emmys Predictions Hub
The miniseries, based on the documentary of the same name that steamed on Netflix in 2018, tells the story of Michael Peterson, a crime novelist, who is accused of bludgeoning his wife Kathleen to death after she is found at the bottom of a staircase in their home. As the clues and investigation unravel, a French documentary team begins filming the events, creating unexpected consequences.
The Australian actress is beloved:...
- 5/20/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
HBO Max’s new series “The Staircase” dramatizes the real-life events covered in the French docuseries of the same name created by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade. It explores the life of Michael Peterson (Colin Firth), his sprawling North Carolina family and the suspicious death of his wife, Kathleen Peterson (Toni Collette). Even though there are still a lot of ambivalent feelings about the case in general and Michael specifically, the creative minds behind this series were very much interested in embracing that ambiguity. “What was always fascinating about Michael was that he was impossible to pin down,” says creator, showrunner, executive producer and director (of six episodes) Antonio Campos in an exclusive new interview for Gold Derby, in which he is joined by fellow showrunner and executive producer Maggie Cohn. “Having this maze of a character within a maze of a story was what fascinated us.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
- 5/18/2022
- by Luca Giliberti
- Gold Derby
As a culture, we've always been obsessed with true crime. Back in 1970, the public devoured every grizzly detail of the Manson murders, right down to the bloody writing on the walls, and the whole case became a spectacle. America couldn't tear its eyes away from the weirdo cult leader and his gang of acid-tripping misfits. The murderers became stars of their own television shows. Now, they get a series.
One of the most recent murders to capture the attention of true crime enthusiasts and television audiences is that of Kathleen Peterson. On December 9, 2001, Michael Peterson called 911 stating that...
The post The Staircase Went to the Real Crime Scene To Create its Sets appeared first on /Film.
One of the most recent murders to capture the attention of true crime enthusiasts and television audiences is that of Kathleen Peterson. On December 9, 2001, Michael Peterson called 911 stating that...
The post The Staircase Went to the Real Crime Scene To Create its Sets appeared first on /Film.
- 5/16/2022
- by Christian Gainey
- Slash Film
A war of words has broken out between the filmmakers who have brought audiences two different versions, nearly two decades apart, of the real-life mystery behind The Staircase.
French director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade’s 2004 Peabody Award-winning documentary told the story of the fortunate Peterson family who lived in a luxurious mansion in North Carolina, until Kathleen Peterson’s body was discovered at the foot of a staircase, and her husband Michael was tried for murder.
More recently, Antonio Campos has adapted the same story into an HBO Max TV drama series starring Colin Firth and Toni Collette.
De Lestrade and his team enjoyed privileged access to Michael Peterson and his family during the trial and years that followed, and Campos’s drama highlights this close connection, including a romantic relationship between Michael Peterson and the documentary’s editor Sophie Brunet.
The drama also depicts the documentary team exerting their editorial control in ways that,...
French director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade’s 2004 Peabody Award-winning documentary told the story of the fortunate Peterson family who lived in a luxurious mansion in North Carolina, until Kathleen Peterson’s body was discovered at the foot of a staircase, and her husband Michael was tried for murder.
More recently, Antonio Campos has adapted the same story into an HBO Max TV drama series starring Colin Firth and Toni Collette.
De Lestrade and his team enjoyed privileged access to Michael Peterson and his family during the trial and years that followed, and Campos’s drama highlights this close connection, including a romantic relationship between Michael Peterson and the documentary’s editor Sophie Brunet.
The drama also depicts the documentary team exerting their editorial control in ways that,...
- 5/15/2022
- by Caroline Frost
- Deadline Film + TV
When the cast and showrunners of “Yellowjackets” took the stage at IndieWire’s Consider This FYC Brunch, everyone in the room wanted to learn the secret sauce behind the Showtime blockbuster. But the team made sure to emphasize that there was no single thing that set the show apart. Instead, the show succeeds because of how it delicately balances multiple aspects of the series that seemingly contradict each other. (Full videos of all five panels will be published next week.)
“Tonally, I think we were all wondering if the filaments would come to the magnet,” said executive producer and co-showrunner Jonathan Lisco while speaking on a panel moderated by IndieWire editor-in-chief Dana Harris-Bridson. “Because there’s a lot of different tonalities in here, which we thread together into this single impact on our audience.”
The “Yellowjackets” team wasn’t alone in juggling that problem. A common topic at the brunch...
“Tonally, I think we were all wondering if the filaments would come to the magnet,” said executive producer and co-showrunner Jonathan Lisco while speaking on a panel moderated by IndieWire editor-in-chief Dana Harris-Bridson. “Because there’s a lot of different tonalities in here, which we thread together into this single impact on our audience.”
The “Yellowjackets” team wasn’t alone in juggling that problem. A common topic at the brunch...
- 5/13/2022
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
There’s a fundamental difference between Michael Stuhlbarg and his character in HBO Max’s “The Staircase,” Michael Peterson’s defense attorney David Rudolf.
“I would never put myself in a situation where I would be defending someone for their life,” Stuhlbarg told TheWrap. “So the idea of getting up in it within the justice system and to try to save someone from going to prison for the rest of their life, and the idea of taking on the weight of responsibility that comes with that is quite heavy.”
The limited series follows the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of novelist Michael Peterson’s (Colin Firth) wife, Kathleen Peterson (played by Toni Collette), who was found dead at the bottom of the staircase in her home in December 2001.
It’s assumed that, at some point in their careers, defense attorneys will defend clients who have actually committed the crime they are accused of.
“I would never put myself in a situation where I would be defending someone for their life,” Stuhlbarg told TheWrap. “So the idea of getting up in it within the justice system and to try to save someone from going to prison for the rest of their life, and the idea of taking on the weight of responsibility that comes with that is quite heavy.”
The limited series follows the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of novelist Michael Peterson’s (Colin Firth) wife, Kathleen Peterson (played by Toni Collette), who was found dead at the bottom of the staircase in her home in December 2001.
It’s assumed that, at some point in their careers, defense attorneys will defend clients who have actually committed the crime they are accused of.
- 5/13/2022
- by Katie Campione
- The Wrap
“The actual point of the show is that you can never actually know anything.”
That’s Maggie Cohn, co-showrunner, EP, and writer on “The Staircase” about the new HBO Max original series, created and directed by Antonio Campos. But one thing the creative team on the series did know for certain was early-2000s fashion and makeup — to the consternation of star Sophie Turner in one case.
The story of Michael and Kathleen Peterson (played by Colin Firth and Toni Collette on the new series) was originally told by French documentarian Jean-Xavier de Lestrade across 13 episodes, the first of which — in a mark of how much distribution for true crime has changed — aired in an abbreviated form on ABC’s “Primetime Thursday” in 2004.
At the IndieWire Consider This Brunch May 12, Cohn, along with makeup artist Elle Favorule and costume designer Jennifer Starzyk, told IndieWire’s Jim Hemphill about how recreating...
That’s Maggie Cohn, co-showrunner, EP, and writer on “The Staircase” about the new HBO Max original series, created and directed by Antonio Campos. But one thing the creative team on the series did know for certain was early-2000s fashion and makeup — to the consternation of star Sophie Turner in one case.
The story of Michael and Kathleen Peterson (played by Colin Firth and Toni Collette on the new series) was originally told by French documentarian Jean-Xavier de Lestrade across 13 episodes, the first of which — in a mark of how much distribution for true crime has changed — aired in an abbreviated form on ABC’s “Primetime Thursday” in 2004.
At the IndieWire Consider This Brunch May 12, Cohn, along with makeup artist Elle Favorule and costume designer Jennifer Starzyk, told IndieWire’s Jim Hemphill about how recreating...
- 5/12/2022
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Documentaries may chronicle real life, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's an honest portrayal. Rosemarie DeWitt and Olivia DeJonge learned this firsthand while preparing to star in HBO Max's adaptation of the 2004 true crime documentary The Staircase. The series followed North Carolina novelist Michael Peterson as he defended himself from accusations of murdering his wife, Kathleen Peterson, who was found dead at the bottom of their staircase in 2001. In the HBO Max dramatization, Toni Collette plays Kathleen, while DeWitt and DeJonge plays her sister Candace Zamperini and daughter Caitlin Atwater respectively. Both women turned against Michael...
- 5/12/2022
- E! Online
As the production designer of “The Staircase,” HBO Max’s adaptation of the seminal true-crime docuseries, Michael Shaw had immense challenges in front of him, chief among them the series’ namesake.
The show, which premiered May 5, explores the confounding circumstances of the death of Kathleen Peterson (played by Toni Collette), whose body was found at the bottom of a narrow staircase in the back of the North Carolina home she shared with her novelist husband Michael (Colin Firth) and their five children. Although the original French documentary series captures the Peterson family and their house in great detail, when Shaw first signed on alongside set decorator Edward McLoughlin, he hadn’t seen the documentary — and didn’t plan to.
“I wanted to read the episodes and interpret it as if it wasn’t a real event,” Shaw said. “It was important to create something that wasn’t a replica of the doc.
The show, which premiered May 5, explores the confounding circumstances of the death of Kathleen Peterson (played by Toni Collette), whose body was found at the bottom of a narrow staircase in the back of the North Carolina home she shared with her novelist husband Michael (Colin Firth) and their five children. Although the original French documentary series captures the Peterson family and their house in great detail, when Shaw first signed on alongside set decorator Edward McLoughlin, he hadn’t seen the documentary — and didn’t plan to.
“I wanted to read the episodes and interpret it as if it wasn’t a real event,” Shaw said. “It was important to create something that wasn’t a replica of the doc.
- 5/12/2022
- by Sasha Urban
- Variety Film + TV
The Staircase introduced plenty of twists and turns in its first three episodes, but the saga is just beginning as the case against Michael Peterson (Colin Firth) proceeds in the latest installment, “Common Sense.” Among those who are eager to see the accused killer behind bars is prosecutor Freda Black (Parker Posey) as she attempts to find anything damning enough to put him away. As viewers will recall in the third installment, as Freda and Jim Hardin (Cullen Moss) built their case against Michael, some interesting details came to light. It turns out that the mother of Margaret (Sophie Turner) and Martha (Odessa Young) Ratliff was found dead at the bottom of a staircase, presumably from an aneurysm, but doubts force the prosecutors to push for an exhumation of the Ratliff girls’ mom. As the incident eerily echoes Kathleen Peterson’s (Toni Collette) untimely demise, it could be the smoking...
- 5/12/2022
- TV Insider
Spoiler Alert: This interview contains spoilers through Episode 4 of “The Staircase,” which hit HBO Max on May 12.
Despite her death being the catalyst for a highly publicized court case and miniseries, not much is publicly known about Kathleen Peterson’s life and personality. “The Staircase,” HBO Max’s true crime miniseries from Antonio Campos and Maggie Cohn, seeks to change that by fleshing out Kathleen as a human being.
“I just love that the show on the whole is a more balanced view of their family,” Toni Collette, who plays Kathleen Peterson in the series, tells Variety. “Ultimately, to me, I think it’s about the breakdown of a marriage, and you just see her as a whole person. You see all of them as whole people. People living in this funny little community in the middle of North Carolina, you just can’t imagine the stuff that goes on.
Despite her death being the catalyst for a highly publicized court case and miniseries, not much is publicly known about Kathleen Peterson’s life and personality. “The Staircase,” HBO Max’s true crime miniseries from Antonio Campos and Maggie Cohn, seeks to change that by fleshing out Kathleen as a human being.
“I just love that the show on the whole is a more balanced view of their family,” Toni Collette, who plays Kathleen Peterson in the series, tells Variety. “Ultimately, to me, I think it’s about the breakdown of a marriage, and you just see her as a whole person. You see all of them as whole people. People living in this funny little community in the middle of North Carolina, you just can’t imagine the stuff that goes on.
- 5/12/2022
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety Film + TV
Truth be told, the human species has always been interested in the dark subject that we now call “true crime.” In the Western mythological canon, the very first story after the creation of man and the Garden of Eden is literally that of a fratricide.
Still, you may have noticed of late that pop culture’s obsession with crimes, those who commit them, and how they are punished has intensified of late. If you want to pinpoint a recent moment in the 21st century where our fascination with true crime intensified, you can probably do a lot worse than 2004’s The Staircase.
The Staircase (titled Soupçons or “Suspicions” in its director’s native French) is a multi-part true crime docuseries that helped paved the way for so many of the other true crime docs we see today. The project began when French filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade learned of a curious...
Still, you may have noticed of late that pop culture’s obsession with crimes, those who commit them, and how they are punished has intensified of late. If you want to pinpoint a recent moment in the 21st century where our fascination with true crime intensified, you can probably do a lot worse than 2004’s The Staircase.
The Staircase (titled Soupçons or “Suspicions” in its director’s native French) is a multi-part true crime docuseries that helped paved the way for so many of the other true crime docs we see today. The project began when French filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade learned of a curious...
- 5/10/2022
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Colin Firth is just as mystified by Michael Peterson as true-crime fans. In the HBO Max series The Staircase, Firth plays the novelist, who was accused of murdering his wife, Kathleen Peterson, in December 2001 (he entered an Alford plea to manslaughter in 2017). The British actor speaks and moves with impeccable similarity to the Southerner, a task that the actor told E! News was the easy part of the role. To Firth, the real challenge was understanding who he was playing. "It wasn't so much, can I imitate him?" he told E! News. "It was whether the cadences, the sounds, the vocal foibles, and all these nuances could tell me something... I found it rather...
- 5/8/2022
- E! Online
This article contains spoilers for The Staircase documentary and therefore probably the HBO series as well.
Before we begin, let’s be clear. There are only two people who know the real truth behind the events that are depicted in The Staircase. One of them is dead. And the other is Michael Peterson.
So this article is not going to be able to answer the question of whether Michael Peterson killed his wife Kathleen, and nor indeed is the series. This is not an article about the true story behind Kathleen Peterson’s murder.
Instead HBO’s excellent new drama The Staircase tells the true story of The Staircase – the documentary made by French director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade and released initially in 2004, later updated with further episodes as developments in the case unfolded.
Jean-Xavier de Lestrade and his producer Denis Poncet appear in the dramatization, as do other key players...
Before we begin, let’s be clear. There are only two people who know the real truth behind the events that are depicted in The Staircase. One of them is dead. And the other is Michael Peterson.
So this article is not going to be able to answer the question of whether Michael Peterson killed his wife Kathleen, and nor indeed is the series. This is not an article about the true story behind Kathleen Peterson’s murder.
Instead HBO’s excellent new drama The Staircase tells the true story of The Staircase – the documentary made by French director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade and released initially in 2004, later updated with further episodes as developments in the case unfolded.
Jean-Xavier de Lestrade and his producer Denis Poncet appear in the dramatization, as do other key players...
- 5/7/2022
- by Rosie Fletcher
- Den of Geek
Toni Collette was rightfully hesitant when it came to playing Kathleen Peterson in The Staircase. More than 20 years have passed since the mother of five died in her North Carolina home in December 2001, and while her loved ones will never fully move on, they've done their best to go on with their lives. But with HBO Max releasing a TV adaptation of the documentary about Kathleen's death, Toni worried she'd be complicit in the opening of old wounds, telling E! News, "She was very much alive and very much at the center of this family." Toni wanted this real-life person to be remembered for her who she was, not the grisly details of her death, and ultimately realized that a TV...
- 5/5/2022
- E! Online
Colin Firth stepped outside of his comfort zone for his latest role as Michael Peterson in HBO Max’s “The Staircase,” premiering Thursday night with the first three episodes streaming on HBO Max.
The limited series, based on a true story, follows the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of novelist Michael Peterson’s wife, Kathleen Peterson (played by Toni Collette), who was found dead at the bottom of the staircase in her home in December 2001. Michael was later convicted of her murder. He has maintained his innocence, successfully appealing for a re-trial before eventually taking an Alford plea (allowing him to accept his sentence without actually admitting guilt).
Prior to his turn as Michael for the HBO Max show, Firth had approached many of his previous roles in a similar fashion, he told TheWrap.
“I suppose I’ve always assumed in my work that you try to get to the...
The limited series, based on a true story, follows the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of novelist Michael Peterson’s wife, Kathleen Peterson (played by Toni Collette), who was found dead at the bottom of the staircase in her home in December 2001. Michael was later convicted of her murder. He has maintained his innocence, successfully appealing for a re-trial before eventually taking an Alford plea (allowing him to accept his sentence without actually admitting guilt).
Prior to his turn as Michael for the HBO Max show, Firth had approached many of his previous roles in a similar fashion, he told TheWrap.
“I suppose I’ve always assumed in my work that you try to get to the...
- 5/5/2022
- by Katie Campione
- The Wrap
Nowadays, it’s harder to not land on a scripted true crime series while scrolling through your chosen broadcaster. There’s “The Girl From Plainville,” “Inventing Anna,” “The Thing About Pam” — the list goes on, with nearly all of them based on podcasts, books or documentaries that at one point gripped the nation.
But before any of those stories existed, there was “The Staircase,” a 13-part docuseries by French filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade (released in parts beginning in 2004 on the Sundance Channel before landing on Netflix in 2018) that followed the confounding case of Michael Peterson and his wife Kathleen’s 2001 death at the bottom of their home’s back staircase. The series pioneered a new, episodic style of gripping documentary storytelling, and in real-time revealed the details of Kathleen’s death, Michael’s trial and its aftermath, becoming an object of cult fascination that persists to this day.
Antonio Campos...
But before any of those stories existed, there was “The Staircase,” a 13-part docuseries by French filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade (released in parts beginning in 2004 on the Sundance Channel before landing on Netflix in 2018) that followed the confounding case of Michael Peterson and his wife Kathleen’s 2001 death at the bottom of their home’s back staircase. The series pioneered a new, episodic style of gripping documentary storytelling, and in real-time revealed the details of Kathleen’s death, Michael’s trial and its aftermath, becoming an object of cult fascination that persists to this day.
Antonio Campos...
- 5/5/2022
- by Sasha Urban
- Variety Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.