For several years, the Reacher series has been a huge success for Prime Video, consistently topping streaming charts and turning Alan Ritchson into a major action star after his role in Blue Mountain State. With a fourth season and a Neagley spinoff already planned, Amazon is now preparing another big book-to-screen project: Scarpetta.
As a big mystery fan, I’m really excited about the upcoming Scarpetta series! It’s based on the novels by Patricia Cornwell and will be streaming on Amazon Prime Video starting March 11, 2026. Nicole Kidman is playing Kay Scarpetta, a brilliant forensic pathologist who uses cutting-edge science to crack tough cases. Kay’s Italian heritage and her work often take her all over the place as she investigates crimes. The show is being developed by Liz Sarnoff, who’s known for her work on shows like Lost and Barry, and Jamie Lee Curtis is joining the cast as Kay’s sister – it’s a fantastic lineup!
Like ‘Reacher’, ‘Scarpetta’ Has Plenty of Literature To Mine From
Amazon Prime Video
Lee Child created a vast library of Jack Reacher stories – 30 novels and short stories in total. This gives the Prime Video series a lot of potential longevity, possibly even lasting as long as The Simpsons, as long as viewers stay interested. Each season adapts just one book. Now, the Scarpetta series is also poised to have a long run, thanks to Patricia Cornwell’s 29 novels featuring Kay Scarpetta, with another one scheduled to be released in 2025.
For years, there have been discussions about adapting the Scarpetta novels for film or television. In 1992, Demi Moore was initially cast to play the famous detective, but that movie never happened. More recently, in 2009, Fox 2000 acquired the rights to the existing books with the goal of creating a franchise similar to the Jason Bourne series, but that plan also fell through. It wasn’t until 2023 that serious development finally began.
If you’re heading into this series expecting something like Reacher – lots of quick action – you’re in for a surprise. Think more along the lines of Ballard with Maggie Q – a really smart, slow-burn thriller that gets under your skin. Dr. Scarpetta isn’t a fighter; she’s brilliant and uses her mind to solve things, which is why Nicole Kidman is perfect for the role. Seriously, the woman has five Oscar noms and three Emmys – she knows what she’s doing! And Jamie Lee Curtis is incredible too, an Oscar winner with two Emmy nominations herself. I have a feeling the acting in this is going to be phenomenal.
With ‘Scarpetta’, Nicole Kidman Continues a Great TV Run
Nicole Kidman was long known as a big-screen movie star, like Tom Cruise or Margot Robbie, and rarely appeared on television. But starting in the late 2010s, she began working in TV, with her first success being the Emmy-winning series, Big Little Lies. Since then, she’s been in eight television shows, including popular hits like The Undoing and Lioness.
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Before starring in Big Little Lies, Nicole Kidman hadn’t appeared in a TV series since the 1989 Australian miniseries, Bangkok Hilton. She’d avoided television for a long time, but clearly enjoyed returning to it. If the new series Scarpetta is successful, she could be playing that role for years, similar to Alan Ritchson with Reacher. Even if it doesn’t last, Kidman is likely to continue appearing in other TV shows in the future.
Nicole Kidman is increasingly working in television, and Amazon is actively turning popular books into shows. Besides the Scarpetta adaptation, several other book-to-screen projects are in the works, though we don’t know when they’ll be released yet. These include Carrie, Off Campus, The Love Hypothesis, Fourth Wing, Verity, and The Deal. Everyone is eager to see these new series and wondering if any will be as successful as Reacher.
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2026-01-25 01:20