Oscar winners Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis are teaming up to bring the popular Kay Scarpetta series to television with the new mystery drama Scarpetta, which premiered on Prime Video on March 11.
Curtis reflected on how unexpected the moment feels, recalling her action-packed role in True Lies. At the time, she said, she never imagined that three decades later she would be sitting in New York with Kidman—not only producing a show together, but also playing her on-screen sister.
“I guarantee you when I was literally hanging under a helicopter above the Florida Keys over the Seven Mile Bridge in Florida, I did not imagine I'd be sitting in New York City that many years later with Nicole Kidman,” Curtis said. “Not only being co-bosses on a show, but then also playing her slutty sister. I was not imagining that as my future.”
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The series is based on the best-selling novels by Patricia Cornwell. Kidman, 58, plays the central character Dr Kay Scarpetta, a forensic pathologist who investigates complex murder cases. In the show, Scarpetta returns to Virginia and begins working on crimes that bear an eerie resemblance to a case from three decades earlier that helped launch her career.
To prepare for the role, Kidman spent time with a medical examiner in Tennessee, learning how to handle a scalpel and properly identify and examine organs during autopsies.
“My sister and my mother were obsessed with the novels, so I would read them,” the Emmy-winning actor said. “When I mentioned it to my sister, she was like, ‘Well, I mean, that's it. You have to do it’.”
The rights to Cornwell’s novels had been optioned multiple times over the years, with several major stars previously linked to potential adaptations, including Demi Moore and Angelina Jolie—and even Kidman herself in earlier discussions. However, those versions never moved forward.
The turning point came at the Academy Awards in 2021, when Kidman approached Curtis’ table to introduce herself. Despite decades of working in similar circles, the two had never met before. Months later, when Kidman learned that Curtis was spearheading the Scarpetta project, she immediately expressed interest in joining.
“I have a philosophy where characters come to you at the right time,” Kidman said. “When I first thought about playing Kay Scarpetta, the timing wasn’t right, and neither were the scripts. But this time everything aligned. Here she is, and I’m ready now.”
Curtis portrays Dorothy, Scarpetta’s spirited and unpredictable sister. Initially, the Halloween star had planned only to produce the series, but she ultimately agreed to appear in it at Kidman’s request. The eight-episode first season is led by showrunner Liz Sarnoff, known for her work on Lost and Barry.
The ensemble cast also includes Bobby Cannavale as Pete Marino, Scarpetta’s former partner and Dorothy’s husband. Simon Baker—best known for The Mentalist—plays FBI profiler Benton Wesley, who is also Scarpetta’s husband.
Another Oscar winner, Ariana DeBose, appears as Lucy, Dorothy’s tech-savvy daughter who was largely raised by Kay. The series also features a parallel storyline set in the 1990s that explores Scarpetta’s early career. Rosy McEwen plays the younger version of the forensic expert, while Jake Cannavale—Bobby Cannavale’s real-life son—portrays a young Pete Marino. Hunter Parrish plays a younger Benton Wesley.
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