Colin Firth to portray Michael Peterson in HBO Max's 'The Staircase'

Actor Colin Firth is stepping into the shoes of author Michael Peterson, who was convicted of voluntary manslaughter. Firth will play Peterson in an HBO Max limited series based on the 2004 documentary 'The Staircase'.

As per Variety, HBO Max has ordered eight episodes of the limited series, which is based on the docuseries of the same name and various books and reports on the Peterson case.

Peterson was accused of murdering his wife Kathleen in 2001. He claimed that she died after falling down the stairs at their home, but police suspected he bludgeoned her to death and staged the scene to look like an accident.

The docuseries was originally released in 2004, with creator Jean-Xavier de Lestrade updating with new information years later. Netflix released it as a 13-episode series in 2018.

The series has been in the works at Annapurna since late 2019, with Harrison Ford initially attached to star in the project.

'The Staircase' is written and executive produced by showrunners Antonio Campos and Maggie Cohn. Campos will also direct six of the eight episodes. The series is a co-production between HBO Max and Annapurna Television.

The rest of the cast is yet to be announced, including the actor who will play Michael's second wife, Kathleen.

The role will mark Firth's first regular television role in years. He is primarily known for his feature roles, including his Academy Award-winning turn in 'The King's Speech'.

He was also nominated for an Oscar in 2010 for 'A Single Man'. Other notable feature credits for Firth include the 'Kingsman', 'Bridget Jones' Diary', and the 'Mamma Mia' films.

( With inputs from ANI )