“Call Me By Your Name” actor Michael Stuhlbarg is the latest addition to the ensemble cast of the HBO Max limited series “The Staircase”.
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The upcoming true crime show revolves around crime novelist Michael Peterson, played by Colin Firth, his sprawling North Carolina family and the suspicious death of his wife, Kathleen (Toni Collette).
According to Deadline, Stuhlbarg will play David Rudolf, Peterson’s criminal defense attorney after he is accused of murdering his wife.
The series is based on the docuseries, various books and reports on the case of Peterson, who was convicted in 2003 of murdering Kathleen two years earlier. The charge was reduced to manslaughter in 2017, and Peterson subsequently was released from prison.
He had claimed his wife died after falling down the stairs at their home after consuming alcohol and Valium, but an autopsy concluded she died from multiple injuries, including blows to the back of her head with a blunt object.
Stuhlbarg joins previously announced cast members Juliette Binoche, Rosemarie DeWitt, Parker Posey, Sophie Turner, Odessa Young, Dane DeHaan and Olivia DeJonge in the series.
The eight-part drama comes from director Antonio Campos of “Christine” fame and Maggie Cohn, known for her work on “American Crime Story”.
Showrunners Campos and Cohn also serve as writers and executive producers on the series, which is a co-production between HBO Max and Annapurna TV.
Stuhlbarg most recently appeared in the feature film “Shirley” and will reunite with his “Call Me By Your Name” director Luca Guadagnino and co-star Timothee Chalamet in “Bones and All”.
