A trailer for the upcoming Netflix series Ripley sees Andrew Scott play the fictional charismatic murderer.
The Irish actor, who is also known for BBC show Sherlock – where he gave a menacing performance as the criminal mastermind James Moriarty, will star as Tom Ripley in the new TV show.
A black and white teaser released on Monday shows someone walking towards Man On Fire star Dakota Fanning (Marge Sherwood) with an ashtray as she looks terrified.
Other characters are heard questioning “who is Tom?” as he is described as having no address, phone or office.
Who is Tom Ripley? Andrew Scott stars in the new limited series Ripley. Premiering April 4th. pic.twitter.com/OjlgQQet4I
— Netflix (@netflix) January 22, 2024
John Malkovich, who previously played Tom in Ripley’s Game, also speaks about the character – while Scott appears to morph into Emma actor Johnny Flynn (Dickie Greenleaf).
Scott is a producer on the series and will play grifter Tom as he travels from early 1960s New York to Italy to see Dickie in the tale of “deceit, fraud and murder”.
The Dublin-born actor, also known as the “hot” priest in Fleabag, has previously played darker roles in James Bond film Spectre as the corrupt Max “C” Denbigh and in an 2019 episode of Black Mirror he was a kidnapper who wants to speak to head of a social media site.
The eight-part series is directed and written by Steven Zaillian, who won an Oscar for Schindler’s List and has received nods for his screenplays Moneyball, Awakenings, Gangs Of New York and The Irishman.
US novelist Patricia Highsmith created the character of Tom, beginning in 1955 book The Talented Mr Ripley – which sees him strike up a friendship with Dickie and his girlfriend Marge.
Tom, a con artist, had been sent by Dickie’s father to encourage him to come home after exaggerating their relationship in the original novel.
Highsmith, who died in 1995, went on to put out Ripley Under Ground, Ripley’s Game, The Boy Who Followed Ripley, and lastly in 1991 Ripley Under Water.
The book series has spawned several adaptions including 1999’s The Talented Mr Ripley, starring Matt Damon as Tom, Gwyneth Paltrow as Marge and Jude Law as Dickie, and 2005’s Ripley Under Ground, starring Barry Pepper and Willem Dafoe.
Ripley’s Game in 2002 with Malkovich, Lena Headey and Ray Winstone, was based on the novel of the same name along with 1970s The American Friend with Dennis Hopper.
Ripley arrives on Netflix on April 4.