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It’s not all that often we see Colin Firth play a baddie. It has happened though, like in 2014’s Before I Go to Sleep. And it’s happening again, with Firth set to star in the true crime series The Staircase.
He portrays real life novelist Michael Peterson. When Peterson’s wife died in their home, it was deemed an accident. He claimed that she had mixed prescription pills and alcohol leading her to fall down the stairs. But the autopsy said something different… that her death was a result of multiple blows to the head. You can look for the amazing Toni Collette opposite Firth, starring as Peterson’s wife Kathleen.
The eight-part series starts off when things were good, when Peterson and his wife were living a happy life. As the series rolls out, we learn more about the unraveling of their marriage and what led to the tragic ending.
The recently released trailer starts off with Firth narrating, and his character is so appreciative and grateful for his family.
But, as they do, things take a turn for the worse:

Throughout the trailer, Peterson insists on his innocence, even making a toast, saying, “It’s my life on the line, and I want to tell my story. And I promise you, when we are on the other side of this, things will be better. To la familia. And the ones we miss.”
You can see if he fulfills that promise when The Staircase premieres over at HBO Max on May 5.
Are you looking forward to seeing Colin Firth take on a darker role?