“Ripley” and more
The series highlights for the month of April
“Fleabag” star Andrew Scott becomes famous con artist Tom Ripley on Netflix in April.
© Netflix/Philippe Antonello
April has exciting new starts in store for subscribers of major streaming services. The series tips at a glance.
Series fans can expect a new adaptation of the con artist novel “The Talented Mr. Ripley” next month. In addition, superstars Colin Farrell (47) and “Iron Man” Robert Downey Jr. (58) appear in exciting new series projects.
The most high-profile series restarts in April at a glance.
“Ripley”: on Netflix from April 4th
The series month of April opens on the Streaming service Netflix presents the new black and white adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s (1921-1995) world-famous novel “The Talented Mr. Ripley”. The legendary original was filmed in 1999 with superstars Matt Damon (53), Gwyneth Paltrow (51) and Jude Law (51) in the leading roles.
Netflix’s thriller series “Ripley” is also about the fraudster Tom Ripley (Andrew Scott, 47), who accepts the order to rescue the rich heir Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn, 41) from his life in New York in the 1960s to bring a never-ending Italian vacation back to the US. But when she arrives on site, Ripley takes a liking to the luxurious lifestyle of the cultivated, wealthy Greenleaf, settles in with him and his writer girlfriend Marge Sherwood (Dakota Fanning, 30) – and would prefer never to leave.
Steven Zaillian (71) is responsible behind the scenes for the miniseries “Ripley” as showrunner and director of all eight episodes. The Oscar winner has previously created the recommended HBO miniseries “The Night Of”. Previously, he wrote the scripts for such modern film classics as David Fincher’s (61) “Verblendung”, “American Gangster” with Denzel Washington (69) and “Schindler’s List”. Acting icon John Malkovich (70) is also there.
“Sugar”: From April 5th on Apple TV+
After his great success including his first Oscar nomination for the Irish tragicomedy “The Banshees of Inisherin”, superstar Colin Farrell returns to the screens with the new miniseries “Sugar”. In the Apple TV+ crime show, Farrell plays an idiosyncratic private detective who follows in the footsteps of famous predecessors such as Raymond Chandler’s (1888-1959) Philip Marlowe or Jack Nicholson’s (86) Jake Gittes from “Chinatown” in Los Angeles.
Having just returned to LA, the laconic private detective John Sugar (Farrell) takes on a new case: he is supposed to track down the missing granddaughter of the legendary film producer Jonathan Siegel (“Succession” star James Cromwell, 84). During his research, Sugar uncovers old and new secrets of the Hollywood Siegel family and meets idiosyncratic characters in the nightlife of Los Angeles, such as the hard-drinking Melanie Mackie (Amy Ryan, 55).
In addition to those already mentioned, Kirby Howell-Baptiste (“Sandman”, 37), “Breaking Bad” star Anna Gunn (55) and Dennis Boutsikaris (71), known from “Better Call Saul”, also work in front of the camera in “Sugar”. with. Behind the scenes, series creator Mark Protosevich (62) and “City of God” co-director Fernando Meirelles (68) are responsible for the stylish noir crime series.
“Fallout”: From April 11th on Amazon Prime Video
The streaming service Amazon Prime Video has another series highlight on offer on April 11th with the post-apocalyptic sci-fi series “Fallout”. “Fallout” is based on the extremely successful video game series of the same name, but a completely new story is told within the already known world that is not based on a storyline from the original games.
The focus of the new, retro-futuristic series is young Lucy (Ella Purnell, 27), who has spent her entire life protected in the safety of a fallout shelter. Around 200 years after a nuclear apocalypse devastated the United States, Lucy ventures into the outside world for the first time. There she meets strange characters such as the young soldier Maximus (Aaron Moten) or a mutated bounty hunter (Walton Goggins, 52), who even experienced the nuclear war himself 200 years ago.
Behind “Fallout” are the “Westworld” series creators Lisa Joy (46) and Jonathan Nolan (47), who act as series creators together with Geneva Robertson-Dworet (38) and Graham Wagner. Cult actor Kyle MacLachlan (65) can be seen in another role. He plays the father of the main character, Lucy. All eight episodes of the first “Fallout” season appear in one fell swoop on Amazon’s streaming service Prime Video.
“The Sympathizer”: From April 15th on Sky and Wow
At the same time as the US launch on the premium cable channel HBO, the new satirical series “The Sympathizer” is also starting in Germany on Sky and Wow. The innovative story is about a North Vietnamese spy (Hoa Xuande) within the army of South Vietnam who moves to the USA after the end of the Vietnam War in the early 1970s. But the supposed refugee continues to spy for his communist commanders – and at the same time gets to know the American way of life.
In “The Sympathizer,” superstar Robert Downey Jr., who has just won his very first Oscar, plays a multiple role. Downey Jr. embodies various antagonistic characters representing the US establishment and even shaved his head for the darkly humorous series project from production studio A24.
Behind the scenes, legendary South Korean director Park Chan-wook (60) is involved as co-series creator and director. Former “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Killing Eve” star Sandra Oh (52) takes on another role.