Vikander & Winter Team for Dial M for Murder Anthology Series

November 16, 2020

After influencing countless films and TV shows over the years, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 crime mystery classic Dial M for Murder is getting new life in the form of a limited series with Oscar winner Alicia Vikander (Tomb Raider) and Oscar and Emmy nominee Terence Winter (The Sopranos) partnering for the project at MGM/UA Television, according to Variety.

The potential series is being described as a reimagining of Hitchcock’s film adaptation of Frederick Knott’s play of the same name which will shift the central narrative perspective to a female point of view in comparison to the original’s male-led tale. The new take on the story will be written and created by Michael Mitnick, who previously co-wrote an episode of HBO’s short-lived Vinyl, which was co-created by the Emmy-nominated Winter.

Released in 1954, the film centered on ex-tennis pro Tony Wendice as he looks to have his wealthy wife Margot murdered for her inheritance and for her having an affair, but as he develops the perfect plan to kill her, blackmailing an old acquaintance into carrying out the murder, but the carefully-orchestrated set-up goes awry, Margot stays alive and Tony must figure out a way to outwit the police.

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Ex-tennis pro Tony Wendice (Ray Milland) wants to have his wealthy wife, Margot (Grace Kelly), murdered so he can get his hands on her inheritance. When he discovers her affair with Mark Halliday (Robert Cummings), he comes up with the perfect plan to kill her. He blackmails an old acquaintance into carrying out the murder, but the carefully-orchestrated set-up goes awry, and Margot stays alive. Now Wendice must frantically scheme to outwit the police and avoid having his plot detected.

Vikander is set to executive produce the project through her Vikarious Film production banner, in addition to eyeing a central role in the series, alongside Vikarious’ top executive Charles Collier, Winter and Andrew Mittman of 1.21 and Lloyd Braun.

After exploring the world of American television for the first time in Netflix’s short-lived The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, this project would mark Vikander’s first major part on U.S. television. Winter is currently penning an HBO Max series set in the world of Matt Reeves’ The Batman, as well as a Showtime series based on Nicholas Pileggi’s chronology of organized crime in America.

(Photo Credits: Getty Images)