The black-and-white Netflix limited series could return for more…
Fans of Andrew Scott and the works of Patricia Highsmith were in luck with the Netflix series Ripley.
The black-and-white drama assembled a wonderful cast of actors to bring the classic novel The Talented Mr Ripley to life.
It tells the story of con artist Tom Ripley (Andrew Scott) as he is tasked with heading to Italy to bring home the wealthy American scion of a shipping fortune, wannabe painter Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn), but their fast friendship soon takes a dark turn.
The series winds up with a tantalising ending, however, but will there be more to come from Ripley?
Here’s all we know about whether Ripley will return for a second season.
**Spoiler warning for Ripley**
Will there be a Ripley season 2?
Netflix has not confirmed if Ripley will return for a second season but is currently labelled as a limited series.
Deadline Hollywood reported last year that the show was designed as a limited series “but there is a possibility to go beyond the first installment if it’s a hit”.
When discussing the series with Netflix, Steven Zaillian revealed what drew him to the making the show, noting: “I’ve been a fan of Patricia Highsmith’s books for a long time. She wrote five about her most notorious character, Tom Ripley. When the chance came to tell the first Ripley novel in long-form, rather than just the two hours of a feature, I took it.
“I felt I could get closer to the rhythms of her tale and Tom’s character this way. She sometimes describes events in real-time and in great detail, which is quite effective in linking us to Tom Ripley and somehow making us complicit in his crimes, and the longer form allowed me to do this visually.”
Who could star in a potential Ripley season 2?
Naturally, Andrew Scott would need to return in the role of the eponymous character, Tom Ripley.
If the series follows the Ripley novels, the only other character who would return from the first run would be John Malkovich in the role of Ripley’s criminal associate, Reeves Minot, who appears in multiple novels in the Ripley series.
Additionally, numerous other characters from the second novel Ripley Under Ground and beyond would need to be cast.
As well as various business associates that Ripley encounters and other potential threats to his art forgery business that he encounters in the second book, the main casting that would need to take place would be that of Ripley’s wife and wealthy French heiress Héloïse Plisson.
Are there any wonderful French actresses you’d love to see in the role? I’m rooting for the casting of Eva Green as she’d be such a devilish energy to add to proceedings.
Finally, given how Inspector Pietro Ravini was on to Ripley at the end of the first run, could Maurizio Lombardi reprise his role? It remains to be seen.
What would a potential Ripley season 2 cover?
There are four other Ripley novels by author Patricia Highsmith.
These begin with the book Ripley Under Ground, followed by Ripley’s Game, The Boy Who Followed Ripley, and the final novel, Ripley Under Water.
Given the contemplative pace of the first run, we’d imagine a second season would cover the second book or the next two at most.
The second novel follows Ripley six years after the events of the first novel and the death of Dickie Greenleaf, with Tom Ripley now living a lavish lifestyle in France with his wife Héloïse Plisson, having utilised her wealth and his own as the heir of the Greenleaf fortune.
However, Ripley encounters trouble when his art forgery racket begins to collapse in and on itself when his lies catch up with him.
Additionally, the first season ended on a cliffhanger as Inspector Pietro Ravini worked out Ripley’s identity deception, so could he reappear to track down the villain?
Read More
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- Where was Ripley filmed? Stunning locations from gorgeous Netflix series
- How to watch The Talented Mr Ripley – is it streaming?
- Ripley books: How to read Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley novels in order
- 6 Ripley changes made by Netflix from the book The Talented Mr Ripley
Ripley will arrive on Netflix on Thursday 4th April. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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