About 
Scrubs star Eddie Leavy (A.P. Bio) discussed how Zach Braff, Donald Faison, and Sarah Chalke welcomed him, D&D references, and much more.
Posted in: Amazon Studios, TV | Tagged: scarpetta
Scarpetta: Cornwell & Sarnoff Discuss Time Jump Narratives, Casting
Scarpetta author Patricia Cornwell and showrunner Liz Sarnoff discuss what it took to bring the dynamic crime drama to life on Prime Video.
Article Summary
- Patricia Cornwell and Liz Sarnoff reveal how Scarpetta finally made it from page to screen after decades.
- The series uses dual timelines, exploring Kay Scarpetta’s story with both Nicole Kidman and Rosy McEwen.
- Sarnoff highlights the importance of casting and actor chemistry, especially for younger character versions.
- Each season adapts two novels—one past, one present—to create dynamic, interwoven forensic mysteries.
It's been a journey nearly 40 years in the making, but author Patricia Cornwell is finally seeing her signature work on the screen thanks to a group of creative powerhouses like Nicole Kidman, Jamie Lee Curtis, creator and showrunner Liz Sarnoff, Blumhouse, and Prime Video to help see the journey of Kay Scarpetta come to life with Kidman playing the title character in Scarpetta. Cornwell wrote her first novel in 1990, called Postmordem, inspired by the life of former Virginia Chief Medical Examiner Marcella Farinelli Fierro, which launched a franchise, spawning 28 other titles, with her most recent in 2025's Sharp Force. The Prime Video series follows the character across dual timelines, with Kidman as the present-day incarnation and Rosy McEwen as her younger counterpart, employing advanced forensic technology to unravel mysteries and solve crimes throughout her life, including various stints on cases in Florida, Virginia, and South Carolina. The author and Lost producer/writer spoke to Bleeding Cool about how Cornwell finally found a creative in Sarnoff worthy of her on-screen vision, how Sarnoff assembled an all-star team of creative partners, and how they found younger counterparts to cast as the main core characters.
Scarpetta Author Patricia Cornwell and Showrunner Liz Sarnoff on Making the Crime Drama Franchise a Reality for Prime Video
BC: Patricia, when you wrote the novels and considered adapting them for the screen, what about Liz's vision made the series a reality?
Cornwell: First of all, Liz is very familiar with the books, and she was before she even agreed to do this, so she understood the world that Scarpetta inhabits. She understands the characters, and she gets them psychologically. If you don't, you can't do good storytelling, and she chose the two timelines, too, because the books go all the way back to 1990. You've got to have an older story and a modern story. It creates this dynamic synergy that is so compelling.
Liz, what made the likes of Nicole [Kidman], Jamie [Lee Curtis], [director] David [Gordon Green], and Blumhouse ideal creative partners in this venture?
Sarnoff: Nicole and Jamie are just powerhouses. Everything they do, they do with a thousand percent of themselves with their heart, mind, and spirit. They're just in, and I've never felt that kind of support from producers on a show ever. They are so strong. Did you ask about David Gordon Green?
Yeah.
Sarnoff: David is a wonderful collaborator, and I felt he also has this incredible ability to put people at ease. I felt from day one like we were kids playing together, and that for me was such a relief. We approached everything together, and we made the most of it together.
Beyond the talented ensemble core main cast, what went into casting the younger counterparts of the main characters?
Sarnoff: Well, it was always hard when you're doubling. Sometimes, on Lost, we would triple and quadruple people, so I had a little experience with it. It's really the essence of a person, more than it is a physical resemblance. Voice is very important. We were very lucky that we could get Bobby and Jake Cannavale, and we were incredibly fortunate to find Rosy McEwen, who not only looks a great deal like Nicole but is such a phenomenal actress. They really studied each other and made that work.
Photo Credit: Connie Chornuk / Prime
© Amazon Content Services LLC
How will the framing go with the series of books, with each season?
Sarnoff: It's going to be the same framing; it'll be two books a season. One book will be the past storyline, one will be the present, and they'll play off of each other to the extent that they can.
Blumhouse and Amazon MGM Studios' Scarpetta, which also stars Curtis, Ariana DeBose, Simon Baker, Hunter Parrish, Amanda Righetti, and Savannah Lumar, premieres on Prime Video on March 11th.
Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!
Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!
