Dennis Quaid to Play Real-Life Serial Killer in New Drama Series
Dennis Quaid is stepping into the role of the "Happy Face Killer." The Rookie actor has been tapped to play the real-life serial killer in a new original drama aptly titled Happy Face. The series is partly inspired by the true-life story of Melissa Moore, daughter of the convicted murderer.
After Paramount+ ordered the series in 2021, Melissa said, "It's been an incredible journey that I couldn't have ever foreseen–how I've transcended being raised by a serial killer and now am helping survivors tell their stories."
"Happy Face gives me the chance to share the intense internal conflict, fear, and peril felt by those affected by true crime," she added. "It also inspires me to share the strength that has allowed me to step up in front of the camera so that other survivors will not feel alone in their experience."
Here is everything to know about Happy Face...
What is the Happy Face release date?
Mark your calendars true crime fans, Happy Face is slated to premiere in 2025.
How to watch Happy Face?
The series, produced by CBS Studios in association with King Size Productions, iHeartPodcasts and Semi-Formal Productions, will stream on Paramount+.
How many episodes of Happy Face will there be?
The first season of Happy Face will have eight episodes.
Who is in the Happy Face cast?
Quaid will play the titular role, while B Positive's Annaleigh Ashford has been cast to play the serial killer's daughter, Melissa.
Is Happy Face based on a true story?
The show was inspired by the true-life story of the killer's daughter Melissa Moore, as well as by the podcast of the same name from iHeartPodcasts and Moore, and the autobiography Shattered Silence, which was written by Moore with M. Bridget Cook.
Who was the Happy Face Killer?
Keith Hunter Jesperson was known as the "Happy Face Killer" because he drew smiley faces on evidence where he bragged about his crimes.
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What is Happy Face about?
According to Paramount+, the series "jumps off from Moore’s true-life story," with Melissa's once-beloved father, an incarcerated serial killer, forcing "himself back into his daughter's life" after decades of no contact. "In a race against the clock, Melissa must find out if an innocent man is going to be put to death for a crime her father committed," per Paramount+. "Throughout, she discovers the impact her father had on his victims’ families and must face a reckoning of her own identity."
Is there a trailer for Happy Face?
Production is scheduled to begin in Vancouver in the spring of 2024, so no trailer yet!
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