According to Deadline. Academy Award-wining actress Olivia Colman (Fleabag, The Crown) has officially signed on for the lead role in HBO and Sky’s forthcoming crime drama series titled Landscapers, which will be inspired by a real-life murder case that happened in the U.K. The series is written by Colman’s husband Ed Sinclair, who will also serve as an executive producer alongside Colman through recently established production company South of the River Pictures.
“I love Ed’s scripts, which is just as well as he cooks many of my meals. No, the truth is it’s quite rare to be desperate to play a part on the first reading of a script, but that was the case here. The writing is brave, but subtle and tender too – a joy for any actor.” Colman said in statement.
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Based on real events, Landscapers will be a four-part limited series that tells the story of killers Susan and Christopher Edwards. The pair, a mild-mannered couple from Mansfield in the UK, killed Susan’s parents and buried them in their back garden. The crime remained undiscovered for over a decade. The series is a blackly comic true-crime drama based on extensive research, hours of interviews and direct access to the accused, who have always protested their innocence of murder.
In 1998, Patricia and William Wycherley were shot dead by their daughter Susan and her husband Christopher in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. Following their murders, Susan and Christopher spent years spending the murdered couple’s money while also faking letters and stories to their relatives in order to keep up with the lie that Susan’s parents were still alive. After 15 years, their crime has finally been revealed and the guilty couple was both sentenced to a minimum of 25 years of imprisonment.
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The series will be directed by Alexander Payne (The Descendants, Sideways) from a screenplay by Ed Sinclair. It is a co-production between HBO and Sky which will mark their latest collaboration producing the critically-acclaimed disaster drama Chernobyl. It will also be produced by Sister along with Sky UK’s Zai Bennett, Sky Studios’ Cameron Roach and Katie Carpernter. Landscapers will be executive produced by Serena Thompson of Sky, Jane Featherstone, Chris Fry and Payne.
“Ed’s scripts are a riveting and sensitive exploration of what could drive such an ordinary couple to commit murder and I’m delighted that Olivia Colman will bring Susan to life in what promises to be a compelling series. And after the success of the multi award-winning Chernobyl, we’re pleased to be working with Sister on another original drama inspired by true events.” Roach said.
The miniseries is expected to begin its production sometime next year.
