Melissa McCarthy, Clive Owen to Play JonBenét Ramsey’s Parents in Miniseries Ordered at Paramount+

Paramount+ is revisiting the tragic case of JonBenét Ramsey with a limited series ordered at the streamer on Thursday.

Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly) and Clive Owen (Monsieur Spade) are attached to play Ramsey’s parents, Patsy and John, in the eight-episode miniseries, tentatively titled JonBenét Ramsey. In its exploration of the unsolved 1996 murder of 6-year-old beauty queen Ramsey, the project “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,” the logline reads.

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“At the heart of the series, it is the story of Patsy and John Ramsey,” the description continues, “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.”

According to a report from Deadline, Shea Whigham (Gaslit) and Will Patton (Outer Range) have both been tapped to co-star. Whigham will play District Attorney Alex Hunter, an acquaintance of the Ramsey family. Patton will play Lou Smith, a legend among law enforcement, who has worked over 150 homicide cases in Boulder Springs, Colo.

McCarthy will also serve as an executive producer on the limited series, alongside showrunner Richard LaGravenese (Behind the Candelabra); Anne Sewitsky, who most recently worked on Apple TV+’s Presumed Innocent, will direct four episodes, including the series premiere, and will exec-produce. Production will take place in Calgary, Canada.

“JonBenét Ramsey continues to be one of the country’s most fascinating unsolved murders,” Jeff Grossman, Paramount+’s executive vice president of programming, said in a statement. “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.”

Your thoughts on Paramount+’s latest undertaking? Drop ’em below.

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