The Scarpetta Book Series Is Getting An Amazon Prime Adaptation With Two Hollywood Hotshots

Patricia Cornwell's 26 Kay Scarpetta books have been around since 1990, but they've never made their way to the silver screen — until now.

Starting with "Postmortem," the series boasts a concept that was always ripe for a star-powered television series. Kay Scarpetta herself is a character that any ambitious actress would want to play: In the series, she's a genius and forensic pathologist who uses her knowledge of forensics to solve crimes. Meanwhile, her flaky sister Dorothy complicates her life in more ways than one. However, Cornwell has always been protective of her beloved IP, thus making its journey to the screen a long one. In fact, it wasn't until 2021 that any major studio was even able to buy it (via The Hollywood Reporter).

But now, the books are officially making their way to a television or laptop near you — and with two major stars in the title roles.

According to Deadline, Nicole Kidman will be filling the title role as Kay Scarpetta, whereas Jamie Lee Curtis will be playing her unpredictable sister, Dorothy. Kidman and Curtis will also be executive producing the series through their respective Blossom Films and Comet Pictures.

The news about Curtis isn't much of a surprise, considering the newly anointed Oscar nominee purchased the rights to the Scarpetta series alongside Blumhouse Television back in 2021. "Patricia Cornwell is a bonafide literary trailblazer, and collaborating with her to bring her beloved character Kay Scarpetta to life through the power of television and to introduce her to an entirely new audience is exciting," Curtis said at the time. Curtis has also maintained a solid relationship with Cornwell herself over the years, moderating multiple conversations with the author. 

The series will continue Kidman's reign as prestige TV royalty, following her high-profile turns in "Nine Perfect Strangers," "The Undoing," and of course "Big Little Lies." As for Curtis, she's no stranger to portraying dark material on television; she formerly appeared as Dean Cathy Munsch on "Scream Queens." However, it will be the first time the two have starred alongside each other in such a project. That said, the series is due to get a straight-to-series two-season pick-up at Prime Video, so the folks at Amazon appear to have the same high expectations as everyone else alive today.