The Talented Andrew Scott Steps Into Tom Ripley's Shoes in the First Trailer for Netflix's New Series

Move over Matt Damon, French acting icon Alain Delon, the great Dennis Hopper, Lawmen: Bass Reeves star Barry Pepper and John Malkovich: there's a new Tom Ripley in town. Actually, Malkovich hasn't gone far. Netflix's upcoming limited series Ripley stars All of Us Strangers and Fleabag favourite Andrew Scott as its namesake, but he's joined by an actor who has also played the Patricia Highsmith-penned part, as the just-dropped first teaser trailer for one of 2024's most-anticipated new TV titles shows.

An eight-part effort arriving on Thursday, April 4, Ripley isn't short on drawcards, then — Scott chief among them. He's stepped into iconic characters' shoes before, and suave yet scheming folks that can't be trusted, thanks to his stint as Moriarty in Sherlock. Now, one of the internet's boyfriends is taking on the fictional con artist that debuted on the page in Highsmith's 1955 book The Talented Mr Ripley.

That novel has reached the screen twice before, as 1960 crime-thriller Purple Noon starring Delon, then as the Damon (Oppenheimer)-led The Talented Mr Ripley in 1999. Where the latter also featured Gwyneth Paltrow (The Politician) as Marge Sherwood and Jude Law (Peter Pan & Wendy) as Dickie Greenleaf, Dakota Fanning (The Equalizer 3) and Johnny Flynn (One Life) are doing the honours this time.

As seen in the initial sneak peek at Ripley, Malkovich (Billions) also pops up in the series, which follows its eponymous figure to Italy. Tom's gig: being paid by a rich man to persuade his son to come home.

Steven Zaillian, who has excellent fellow miniseries The Night Of on his resume alongside screenplays for Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York and The Irishman, plus an Oscar for Schindler's List, scripted and directed all eight episodes. He takes his cues from the novelist who also gave the world Strangers on a Train and The Price of Salt — with the first brought to cinemas by Alfred Hitchcock and the second adapted as Carol.

And if you're wondering about Malkovich's time as Tom Ripley, he played the character in 2002's Ripley's Game, the second adaptation of Highsmith's third Ripley novel of the same name after 1977's The American Friend with Hopper. The author also wrote Ripley Under Ground, which was turned into a 2005 Pepper-led film, plus The Boy Who Followed Ripley and Ripley Under Water.

Check out the first teaser trailer for Ripley below:

Ripley streams via Netflix from Thursday, April 4, 2024.

Images: Lorenzo Sisti / Netflix.