Update: According to Deadline, Margaret Qualley will no longer play Amanda Knox in the upcoming Hulu series due to scheduling conflicts. The part will be recast, but there isn’t expected to be any delay as the production isn’t scheduled to begin until October.
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Margaret Qualley will play Amanda Knox in an eight-episode limited series ordered at Hulu. The show is “based on the true story of how Knox was wrongfully convicted for the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher and her 16-year odyssey to set herself free.“
The series was created by KJ Steinberg (This Is Us), who will serve as writer and executive producer. In addition to starring as Amanda Knox, Qualley will also executive produce alongside Steinberg, Warren Littlefield, Lisa Harrison, Ann Johnson, and Graham Littlefield. Monica Lewinsky is also onboard as an executive producer, with Amanda Knox and Chris Robinson producing via Knox Robinson Productions.
Amanda Knox commented on the series in a series of since-deleted posts on social media, saying that previous adaptations of her story haven’t felt true to what she experienced. “When I first came home from prison, I was approached by big players in Hollywood who wanted to tell my story,” she wrote. “I turned them down. It didn’t feel like MY story. It felt like the story of a bunch of other people’s mistakes and the consequences that I and others suffered as a result. It felt like a story I was trapped in.” Previous projects dealing with Knox’s story include Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial for Lifetime and the Netflix documentary Amanda Knox.
Knox credits Monica Lewinsky with getting the ball rolling on the Hulu series. “[Lewinsky] deeply understood the stakes, and had a keen talent for storytelling herself,” she said. “She connected us with 20th Television and Hulu, and we were off to the races!” Knox is also thrilled that Qualley will play her in the series. “Margaret Qualley, who is magical in everything she’s starred in, from Maid, to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, to the new Drive Away Dolls,” Knox said. “I still can’t quite believe she said yes.“
Margaret Qualley was recently seen in Drive Away Dolls, a comedy directed by Ethan Coen, which he also co-wrote with Tricia Cooke. The film follows Jamie, an uninhibited free spirit bemoaning yet another breakup with a girlfriend, and her demure friend Marian who desperately needs to loosen up. In search of a fresh start, the two embark on an impromptu road trip to Tallahassee, but things quickly go awry when they cross paths with a group of inept criminals along the way.