Our newsgathering partners at the News & Observer report that Colin Firth will play the infamous Durham author in a new project. The project is said to be an adaptation of the Netflix documentary series "The Staircase."
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Harrison Ford was previously named as the star who would play Peterson. However, Peterson himself tells the News & Observer he thinks Firth "is a better fit since Harrison Ford is older than I am and would be playing a man twenty years younger during the trial."
The project will premiere on HBO Max, although a release date has not been set.
Beyond the Staircase: The Michael Peterson Trial
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Peterson's wife Kathleen was found at the bottom of a staircase in the couple's Durham home in 2001. Peterson was found guilty of her murder in 2003. He was later granted a new trial, where he accepted an Alford plea and was released from prison in 2017.
Peterson has been living in Durham since his release.