The year of Olivia Colman isn’t over yet. After taking over as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown and winning an Oscar for The Favourite, Colman is stepping away from the throne to star as a killer in HBO and Sky’s crime drama Landscapers. The series is written by her husband, Ed Sinclair.
Landscapers, which is Sinclair’s first TV screenplay, is inspired by the true story of Susan and Christopher Edwards, a Mansfield, U.K., couple who were convicted in 2014 of killing Susan’s parents and burying them in their back garden. Colman will play Susan Edwards. The series is described as a darkly comedic true-crime drama based on extensive research, hours of interviews, and direct access to the accused, who have always protested their innocence.
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“I love Ed’s scripts, which is just as well as he cooks many of my meals,” Colman said in a statement, per Deadline. “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.”
Alexander Payne will direct the four-part series.
Landscapers is produced by Chernobyl producer Sister and co-produced by South of the River Pictures, Colman and Sinclair’s new production company. Colman and Sinclair will executive produce alongside Serena Thompson (for Sky) and Jane Featherstone and Chris Fry (for Sister). Katie Carpenter produces.
The drama will air on HBO in the U.S., on Sky Atlantic and Now TV in the U.K., and on Sky in Germany, Italy, Spain, and Ireland.
Landscapers begins filming in 2020.
Ed Sinclair and Olivia Colman
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