'The Staircase' trailer: 'The Petersons are crazy' or are they?
What's the story
The trailer for The Staircase is out! Starring Academy Award winner Colin Firth and Golden Globe Award recipient Toni Collette, the limited series is slated to hit the streaming platform HBO Max on May 5 this year. The true crime drama streaming television miniseries is based on the trial of American crime novelist Michael Peterson, who was convicted of murdering his wife, Kathleen Peterson.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The Staircase isn't the first miniseries to be made on Peterson and his trial. A French television miniseries was also made on the same that was released in 2004. It was written and directed by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade. The French miniseries is currently streaming on Netflix. So, given this situation, we are curious to know how different this latest offering will be.
Trailer
What does the trailer show?
The 3:09-minute-long trailer starts with Firth saying, "I think there are not many families like us." As it's being spoken, visuals of Firth smirking, Collette dancing at a party and her slapping on the table hard in anger are shown to us and we understand that the opening dialogue was a sarcasm. Then, Kathleen (Collette) suddenly dies by falling off from the stairs apparently.
Details
Cuts and bruises bring twist
The obvious conclusion of the death being an accident gets negated when doctors find "35 cuts and bruises and seven deep lacerations to the scalp." The husband becomes the main suspect, which leaves the family divided. In real life, the case was a high-profile one as Michael Peterson (Firth) was a Marine Corps veteran, columnist, novelist, and a mayoral candidate.
Fact
Cast, crew, release details
Besides the aforementioned actors, the series co-stars Michael Stuhlbarg, Juliette Binoche, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sophie Turner, Vincent Vermignon, and Odessa Young, among others. The series has been co-produced by HBO Max and Annapurna Television. Antonio Campos and Maggie Cohn are its creators and writers. The first three episodes will get released on May 5, with the rest five arriving on a weekly basis.