Paramount+ today announced that Academy Award nominees Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?) and Clive Owen (Closer) are set to star in the upcoming limited series JONBENÉT RAMSEY (working title) as JonBenét’s parents Patsy and John Bennett Ramsey. Produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios, production will begin in Calgary, Canada, with Academy Award® nominee Richard LaGravenese (Behind the Candelabra) serving as showrunner and executive producer. Four of the eight episodes, including the first episode, will be directed by Anne Sewitsky (Presumed Innocent), who will also serve as executive producer.
JONBENÉT RAMSEY (w/t) explores the tragic unsolved murder of six-year-old beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey. It follows the Ramsey family, before and after the tragedy as they go through the painful loss of a child while facing intense public scrutiny caused by a media frenzy that caused this case to captivate an entire nation. At the heart of the series, is the story of Patsy and John Ramsey – exploring the unbreakable partnership of these two complex people – as husband and wife, as mother and father – who had committed themselves and their children to building the narrative of a perfect, privileged life only to have it destroyed one Christmas night in 1996.
“Melissa McCarthy and Clive Owen are an extraordinary duo to delve into this tragic story that has cast a long, haunting shadow over American culture for nearly three decades,” said Chris McCarthy, Paramount Global Co-CEO and President/CEO, Showtime & MTV Entertainment Studios.
“JonBenét Ramsey continues to be one of the country’s most fascinating unsolved murders,” said Jeff Grossman, Executive Vice President, Programming, Paramount+. “The incredible talent of Melissa McCarthy, Clive Owen and the creative team led by Richard LaGravenese will illuminate her story with the acuity and nuance it deserves.”
“We have been working to bring this thought provoking and bold project to audiences for some time now and could not be happier with the top notch team working in front of and behind the camera,” said David Glasser, CEO of 101 Studios.