The 'Tammy' actress is set to join Clive Owen to retell America's most haunting true crime story about JonBenet Ramsey in an upcoming eight-episode series.
- Sep 6, 2024
AceShowbiz - Paramount+ has greenlit a gripping limited series that delves into the unsolved 1996 murder of six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey. Set to star Melissa McCarthy and Clive Owen, the series will explore the enigmatic circumstances surrounding JonBenet's death and the subsequent media frenzy that engulfed her family.
McCarthy and Owen will portray Patsy and John Bennett Ramsey, JonBenet's parents, who found themselves at the center of public and legal scrutiny following their daughter's tragic death on Christmas Day in 1996. Despite numerous investigative efforts and much media speculation, the case remains one of America's most notorious unsolved murders.
JonBenet Ramsey was found dead in the basement of her home in Boulder, Colorado, hours after being reported missing. An autopsy revealed strangulation as the cause of death, accompanied by a handwritten ransom note that only deepened the mystery. Although a former school teacher named John Mark Karr confessed to the crime in 2006, DNA evidence exonerated him, and the case remains open.
The series aims to provide insight into the lives of Patsy and John Ramsey both before and after the tragic event. "At the heart of the series, it is the story of Patsy and John Ramsey - exploring the unbreakable partnership of these two complex people - as husband and wife, as mother and father," according to the official series logline.
Veteran screenwriter Richard LaGravenese ("Behind the Candelabra") will serve as showrunner, while Anne Sewitsky ("Presumed Innocent") will direct half of the episodes, including the premiere. Production is set to begin in Calgary, Canada, although no release date has been announced.
Chris McCarthy, Paramount Global Co-CEO, emphasized the lasting impact of this case, "Melissa McCarthy and Clive Owen are an extraordinary duo to delve into this tragic story that has cast a long, haunting shadow over American culture for nearly three decades."
With the 30th anniversary of JonBenet Ramsey's case approaching in 2026, this series promises to bring renewed attention to the unsolved mystery and perhaps, in the process, deliver new insights.
