Though the role was previously linked to Harrison Ford, Colin Firth will star as Michael Peterson in HBO Max and Annapurna Television’s limited series The Staircase, adapted from the true-crime docuseries of the same name. Peterson, a crime novelist, was accused of killing his wife in 2001. His trial became the focus of the docuseries, which originally aired in 2004 and went on to inspire shows like Serial. Director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade revisited the story twice for updates on legal developments, and Netflix released The Staircase as a 13-episode series in 2018. Antonio Campos is set to direct six of the eight episodes for the new HBO version and said in a release he has been involved with the project since 2008. “It’s been a long and winding road, but well worth the wait to be able to find partners like HBO Max, Annapurna, co-showrunner Maggie Cohn, and the incredible Colin Firth to dramatize such a complex true-life story,†he said. We’re just wondering if this retelling of the whodunit will become a hoo-dunit and include the internet theory that an owl was involved.