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NEW YORK<\/strong> \u2013 When Jamie Lee Curtis’<\/a> blockbuster film \u201cTrue Lies\u201d premiered worldwide, it would’ve been improbable to think that 30 years later she would be giddy about a TV show \u2014 about as improbable as performing her iconic helicopter stunt without special effects.<\/p>\n \u201cI guarantee you when I was \u2026 literally hanging under a helicopter above the Florida Keys over the Seven Mile Bridge in Florida, I did not imagine I\u2019d be sitting in New York City that many years later with Nicole Kidman<\/a>,\u201d Curtis said. \u201cNot only being co-bosses on a show, but then also playing her slutty sister. I was not imagining that as my future.\u201d<\/p>\n The Oscar winners co-executive produced and star in \u201cScarpetta,\u201d a new mystery crime series from Prime Video, out March 11, based on Patricia Cornwell’s<\/a> popular books. Curtis credits Kidman as one of the major Hollywood players who helped shrink the gulf between perceptions of film and TV roles with prestige series like \u201cBig Little Lies\u201d and \u201cNine Perfect Strangers.\u201d <\/p>\n Kidman, 58, plays the titular character Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a forensic pathologist who solves complex murders. Upon returning to Virginia, she comes across cases eerily reminiscent of one three decades prior that catapulted her career forward. To prepare for the role, Kidman spent time with a medical examiner in Tennessee, where she learned how to hold a scalpel, and how to identify and dissect organs.<\/p>\n \u201cMy sister and my mother were obsessed with the novels, so I would read them,\u201d the Emmy-winning Kidman said. \u201cWhen I mentioned it to my sister, she was like, \u2018Well, I mean, that\u2019s it. You have to do it.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n Perfect timing for an adaptation<\/p>\n The book rights to Cornwell\u2019s iconic fiction series were optioned throughout the years with megastars sometimes attached, including actors Demi Moore, Angelina Jolie, and even Kidman previously. But those iterations didn’t come to fruition.<\/p>\n At the 2021 Oscars, Kidman approached Curtis\u2019 table and introduced herself \u2014 they’d never met, despite working in similar circles for decades. Months later, when Kidman heard Curtis was leading the charge on \u201cScarpetta,\u201d she wanted in.<\/p>\n \u201cI have a philosophy where characters come to you at the right time,\u201d Kidman said. When she first considered playing Kay Scarpetta, the timing wasn’t right, and neither were the scripts. But the second time, it all came together. \u201cHere she is, and I\u2019m ready now,” she said, reflecting on her decision to embrace the project. <\/p>\n Curtis plays Scarpetta\u2019s free-spirited sister Dorothy. The \u201cHalloween\u201d franchise star had no intention of acting in the show but agreed to at Kidman\u2019s request. The eight-episode season was led by showrunner Liz Sarnoff, whose credits include \u201cLost\u201d and \u201cBarry,\u201d and is also a longtime fan of the books.<\/p>\n The cast includes Emmy winner Bobby Cannavale as Pete Marino, Kay’s ex-partner and Dorothy\u2019s husband and \u201cThe Mentalist\u201d star Simon Baker, who plays FBI profiler and Scarpetta’s husband Benton Wesley. Another Oscar winner, Ariana DeBose<\/a>, is Dorothy\u2019s tech-savvy daughter, primarily raised by Kay.<\/p>\n A companion storyline set in the ’90s follows the doctor’s early career, with Rosy McEwen, who bears a striking resemblance to Kidman, portraying the younger version. Jake Cannavale \u2014 Bobby\u2019s actual son \u2014 plays the young Marino, with Hunter Parrish portraying babyfaced Benton.<\/p>\n DeBose, who presented Curtis with her Oscar for \u201cEverything Everywhere All at Once,\u201d was offered the role in a personal text message from Curtis. Her character, Lucy, is grieving her dead wife and seeks comfort in an AI replica. It\u2019s a pivot for an actor known for upbeat Broadway performances.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI hope audiences will also find a way to have compassion for her,\u201d said the 35-year-old, of a fictional character that had real-life reverberations. Five months after filming, DeBose faced a loss of her own when her mother died. \u201cI\u2019m more clear now than I was when I was actually shooting this series \u2026 that grief manifests in very different ways.\u201d<\/p>\n Betting big on screen adaptations<\/p>\n