A shocking new scripted series about Jeffrey Epstein is now in the works, and it’s already drawing major attention.
Laura Dern is attached to star in a new limited series centered on the investigation that helped expose Epstein’s crimes, with Adam McKay on board as an executive producer. The project is based on Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story, the book by Miami Herald reporter Julie K. Brown, whose reporting brought renewed national outrage to the case and helped shine a light on the secret deal that allowed Epstein to avoid harsher punishment for years.
Dern is set to play Brown, the journalist whose relentless reporting dug into the powerful network surrounding Epstein and uncovered the deeply controversial plea agreement he received from federal prosecutors. According to the project’s description, the series will follow Brown’s years-long investigation as she identified 80 victims, convinced survivors to speak publicly, and helped push the case back into the spotlight, ultimately leading to the arrests of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
The series is being adapted by Sharon Hoffman, whose past work includes Mrs. America and House of Cards. She will executive produce and serve as co-showrunner alongside Eileen Myers, known for American Hostage and Masters of Sex. Dern will also executive produce, while McKay and Kevin Messick are attached through Hyperobject Industries. Brown is also on board as an executive producer.
If the project lands at a network or streamer, it would mark the first scripted series to tackle the Epstein case. That alone is likely to spark intense interest, considering how many documentaries and docuseries have already explored the disgraced financier’s trafficking operation and the powerful figures long linked to his world.
The project also continues McKay’s run of high-profile, ripped-from-the-headlines storytelling. Though he first made his name with comedies like Anchorman and Talladega Nights, he later pivoted into politically charged and socially biting projects like The Big Short, Don’t Look Up, and Succession.
Dern’s casting only adds more heat to the project. She remains one of Hollywood’s most respected stars, with a long list of acclaimed film and television roles. Over the years, she has earned nine Emmy nominations, winning for Big Little Lies, and took home an Oscar for Marriage Story. Her career also includes major roles in Palm Royale, Little Women, Jurassic Park, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
With a powerhouse actress, a politically sharp producer, and one of the most disturbing scandals in recent memory at the center of it all, this series is already shaping up to be one of the most talked-about projects in development.